SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A San Carlos man is describing the terrifying moments a trip to Glacier National Park in Montana turned into a nightmare more than a week ago, when a grizzly bear charged and attacked him — leaving him with serious injuries.
A selfie Daniel Crago took just minutes before the attack, shows him smiling on the trail.
"Just peace, loved being in nature,” said Crago.
Crago was hours into the last hike of nearly a week of hikes with a friend at Glacier National Park when he split from her to cross a rocky snowfield to get a few photos. As he was walking back over the snowfield, he spotted a grizzly cub pass by him, about 40 feet away.
Moments later, he saw a larger grizzly, about 15 feet above him on the sloped terrain.
"I did as your told. I alerted the bear so you don't catch them by surprise. ‘Hey bear, hey bear.’ As soon as it looked up right at me, it charged me… you could hear the roar. I just stuck my arm up… and I thought, ‘This is it.’”
Crago says the bear locked onto his arm and dragged him more than 20 feet before letting go and running off.
"Completely split open forearm, just bleeding out… I was just in panic mode, thinking I'm going to die,” said Crago.
Rushing to his aid were his friend and several other hikers, including a doctor, who applied a tourniquet to slow the bleeding. About an hour later, Crago was airlifted to a hospital.
"Open wound, complete fracture of two bones in forearm,” said Crago.
Crago underwent 3 different surgeries and had plates inserted into his arm.
"I am extremely lucky the bear missed the major artery in arm,” said Crago.
Crago says he's also grateful he raised his arm, likely avoiding a bite to his head or neck area. But mostly, he's grateful for his good Samaritans.
"You see the best in people in these moments. Definitely gives a new perspective on what's important. Whatever is going on in life, I'm alive,” said Crago.
The bear attack comes 3 weeks after a Florida hiker was killed in a suspected bear attack at the park — the first fatal attack since 1998. Park officials haven't said if the two attacks are linked, but they did tell Crago his bear was likely startled and acted defensively.
A Gofundme campaign has been set up to help Crago with medical and other expenses, including the medical airlift bill totalling more than $20,000.
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