Bear attack survivor recalls the horrifying moment he thought he was going to die
Britt Jones
Featured Image Credit: GoFundMe
A man who came inches from death after being attacked by a grizzly bear, has revealed what he thought would be his final thoughts.
There’s nothing more terrifying than coming face-to-face with a killing machine responsible for mauling unfortunate hikers all year round, which is what Daniel Crago would soon find out.
Daniel was walking in Montana's Glacier National Park on the Grinnell Glacier Trail on May 28, when he had the most unfortunate meeting.
Not one, but two bears.
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The 32-year-old told CBS 8 that at first, he saw a little bear cub, but it was the momma he saw next that changed everything.
Daniel explained that he immediately deployed the advice you’re given in these types of situations.
However, nothing could have prepared him for what would happen next.
“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,” He told the outlet, recalling: “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.”
At that point, he revealed what his thoughts were in a moment where he believed he would die.
"I just kind of thought, 'This is it,'” he said.
According to the hiker, the bear lunged at him, latching onto his forearm, which ultimately crushed his bones.
It also apparently dragged him 20 feet before fleeing, with Daniel left to struggle with the aftermath of the attack.
He explained that he had ‘looked down and saw my arm just dangling’ with ‘blood pouring out’ as he ‘thought [he] was gonna die.’
According to the Glacier National Park, the 'surprise encounter with a grizzly bear' was something that was likely compounded by the ‘sound of loud rushing water’ near the trail.
They said in their release that this likely 'made it difficult for either the man or the bear to detect one another.’
For Daniel, his survival was helped by a doctor who was on the trail, and other hikers who flagged the emergency to the appropriate services.
After which he was airlifted to Kalispell.
In the end, Daniel suffered from 'a complete crush of the bones, the forearm bones,’ which required three surgeries, with another scheduled.
However, due to mounting medical bills, Daniel has created a GoFundMe to offset the cost.