A man was attacked by a bear near his North Carolina home and needed a three-hour treatment by a special facial plastic surgeon to stitch up his wounds, WLOS reported Monday.
Bill Palas was attacked by the bear early July 7 while engaged in his 30-year-long pastime of running the trails near his Asheville home near the Pisgah National Forest, WLOS reported. Palas said he regularly saw wildlife.
Palas saw a cub on the trail early that morning as he negotiated a turn on a ridge along the trail, per the outlet. “When you see a cub, there’s usually a mum around, and I turn around real quick and there I see the mama bear,” Palas said, KCRA reported. The cub reportedly ran up the ridge and its mother bore down on Palas.
“She stands up on her back legs, and here’s this head – her head must have been the size of a basketball – and it’s right here,” Palas said, KMBC noted. The bear reportedly mauled his face and chest. He tried to hit the bear, but his hand went into the animal’s mouth. The bear knocked him down on his back and then left him alone, the outlet noted. (RELATED: Woman’s Body Found In National Park After ‘Bear Encounter’)
“She stands up on her back legs, & here’s this head — her head must have been the size of a basketball — & it’s right here. She takes her claw & she rakes it across my face & chest.”https://t.co/JoYdylfOHw
— WLOS (@WLOS_13) July 25, 2023
“I was running on adrenaline and shock,” Palas said. He made it back home and his wife rushed him to the hospital, which had to bring in a special facial plastic surgeon, who “spent three hours sewing on me,” per the outlet.
“I just feel so lucky that I’m together. I mean, seeing these three-inch razor claws, I could see them this close to my face” he added. “Man, it’s just surreal.”
Since the attack and his recovery, Palas has reportedly hit the trail again, undeterred.
“I definitely have some wilderness street cred now ’cause, how many people do you know that’s been attacked by a bear?” he asked.