A hiker is opening up about surviving a terrifying grizzly bear attack at Montana's Glacier National Park. The animal caused severe injuries to the California man's arm.
Daniel Crago had been hiking near the Grinnell Glacier Trail on May 28. That's when he encountered two grizzly bears, one being a cub. According to CBS 8, the larger bear attacked him.
"At that point, I did what they kind of teach or train you to do: just alert the bear so you don't startle [it]. You make them aware," Crago recalled to the outlet. "So, I did that. 'Hey bear! Hey bear!' And it kind of had its nose in the snow, maybe smelling something, and looked up at me. And as soon as we looked at each other, it charged at me."
"I just kind of thought, 'This is it,' " he added. The grizzly quickly bit down on his arm and dragged him. "Looked down and saw my arm just dangling. Blood pouring out. Thought I was gonna die."
Fortunately, a doctor had been hiking nearby. The doctor quickly helped stabilize his arm while emergency responders arrived. They airlifted him to a nearby hospital. "Thankfully, the bear didn't injure the wrist, didn't injure the elbow. It was just a complete crush of the bones, the forearm bones," he added.
Hiker Opens Up About Surviving Grizzly Attack
"The helicopter itself was $20,000, after insurance," he said. "I haven't received any medical bills [yet] from the in-patient stay, which required an ER visit, multiple surgeries."
"The costs are overwhelming, and I am reaching out for help to cover these expenses so I can continue my recovery without the added stress of financial hardship," he also added.
The hiker is thankful to all those who supported him.
"I am deeply grateful for everyone who has supported me — from hikers Eric and Michaela, who helped stop the bleeding and saved my life, to Dr. Vaughn, my orthopedic surgeon, to my friend Chelsea, who helped me remain calm and helped care for me, and to Emma, Caelyn, Sam, and the rest of the Logan Hospital staff in Kalispell," he said.
