When Black Bears Attack!
Although black bear attacks are rare and most victims come out unscathed, this does not negate the fact that black bear attacks do happen and are sometimes fatal. Since 1900, there have been only 45-recorded deaths that were caused by black bears in the North America. This number is very minimal compared to the over 500 conflicts between black bears and humans from 1960 to 1980. Black bear attacks are much more common in the United States than are grizzly bear attacks. The main reason for the difference is the population size of each species. There are approximately 300,000 black bears in the continental United States, whereas there are only about 2000-3000 grizzlies still remaining in the lower 48 states. The larger population of black bears greatly increases the probability of encountering one in the wild.
http://ext.nrs.wsu.edu/publications/Blackbears1.htm