Alaska man recovering from bear mauling near Haines
A man who was mauled by a bear before his father came to his rescue was treated for bite wounds
A man who was mauled by a bear outside Haines, Alaska, on Thursday is recovering from non life-threatening injuries.
Casey Bradford, 21, was in good spirits but a lot of pain on Friday, one day after a brown bear attack near the Chilkat River according to his father, 55-year-old Scott Bradford of Haines. He said his son had deep bite wounds on his arm and leg.
"I saw this brown thing chasing him," Scott Bradford said, recalling the series of events. "My first thought was that it was a moose."
Scott Bradford said he ran toward the bear and fired a shot over its head after it tackled his son. The spooked bear ran off as Scott Bradford took better aim and fired again. He doesn't know if he struck the animal.
The attack occurred Thursday evening. The father and son were about 27 metres apart as they scouted a moose during a hunting outing. The light was fading when Casey Bradford suddenly started yelling and running toward his father.
After the attack, the younger Bradford was in pain but not bleeding profusely, his father said.
The pair made their way to their boat about 1.5 kilometres away. It was difficult for Casey Bradford to walk, but the adrenaline kept them going, said Scott Bradford.
It was dark when they reached the boat. It took a short ride to reach their vehicle, and then it was a 40-kilometre drive to medical clinic in Haines.
Casey Bradford was flown to Juneau's Bartlett Regional Hospital by the Coast Guard.
Scott Bradford went home and spent a sleepless night wondering about all the what-ifs.
"There were a lot of things going through my mind all night," he said. "If that bear would have attacked him a few minutes before, this would be a different story."
Scott Bradford said he and his son have often gone hunting without each other.
"We're not doing that anymore," he said. "We'll be standing shoulder to shoulder from now on when we're hunting."
Authorities planned to return to the scene of mauling to look for the bear. Responders also planned to post signs warning about an aggressive brown bear in the area.