Talk about taking a situation from bad to worse. A hunter accidentally shot himself while being mauled by a brown bear in Alaska. He was out hiking with his father when the attack happened.
32-year-old Tyler Johnson encountered the brown bear while on a hunting trip with his father. He was hiking on the Kenai Peninsula when he came across a clearing in the forest. "It was a growl and then an immediate charge," Johnson told CNN.
The hunter's presence scared the animal, and it attacked the two. The brown bear knocked Johnson to the ground, tearing into his leg. The hunter drew his pistol and emptied the clip into the animal. However, in the process, he accidentally shot himself in the leg as well.
"Every, every move a bear makes is intentional. They don't just go halfway into an action," he said. "So when a bear stops, it's probably because it's dead, or it's about to die."
His father also shot the animal as well. With the brown bear deceased, Johnson's father worked to try to treat his son and get help. "I looked down my leg, 'Dad, I shot myself,'" Johnson said. His father used a tourniquet to stop the bleeding and also gauzed up the wound. He managed to contact emergency services with SOS.
Hunter Attacked By Brown Bear
Johnson praised his father for saving his life. At the time, the hunter said he didn't feel much pain — just pressure. "To be honest, getting shot, the bear biting into me, I didn't feel at the time," he said.
Johnson and his father waited for help and passed the time by talking. Johnson thanked his father for being there and helping him. "It's those little things that try to help you through a hard moment. Realizing that you're there with the only person you would want to be there with was really comforting," he said. Fortunately, help finally arrived. Emergency services loaded Johnson up into the helicopter and transported him to Anchorage.
Doctors didn't end up performing surgery, using antibiotics and bandages to treat his wound. Authorities later found a cub in the area. They believe that Johnson's presence spooked the animals and caused the mom to react aggressively.
