'I didn't want to lose my friend': College wrestler saves teammate from grizzly bear attack
A college wrestler from a small Wyoming school helped his teammate survive a grizzly mauling over the weekend by trying to wrestle the massive bear off his friend, eventually drawing a more brutal attack to himself.
Video above: Grizzly bear attack victims speak from the hospital
The men are crediting their bonds as wrestling teammates at Northwest College in Cody, Wyoming, with helping them survive the attack Saturday evening southeast of Yellowstone National Park.
Brady Lowry of Cedar City, Utah, suffered a broken arm and puncture wounds in the initial attack after they surprised the bear while searching for antlers shed by elk and deer in the Shoshone National Forest.
맥스카지노It shook me around and I didn't know what to do,맥스카지노 Lowry told Monday in an interview from a hospital in Billings, Montana. 맥스카지노I curled up in a ball and it got me a few more times.맥스카지노
His teammate 맥스카지노 Kendell Cummings of Evanston, Wyoming 맥스카지노 tried to stop the attack on Lowry by yelling, kicking and hitting the bear and pulling on its fur.
맥스카지노I didn't want to lose my friend. It was bad,맥스카지노 Cummings told . 맥스카지노There was a big ol' bear on top of him. I could have run and potentially lost a friend, or get him off and save him.맥스카지노
The bear quickly turned its fury onto Cummings.
맥스카지노It tackled me, chewed me up a bit, and then when it was done it wandered off, and I started calling out for Brady to make sure he was alright,맥스카지노 Cummings told KSL.
The bear was only gone briefly.
맥스카지노The bear circled back around, and it got me again, chewed on me, and that's when it got my head and cheek,맥스카지노 Cummings said. 맥스카지노And then it went away again for whatever reason.맥스카지노
Cummings pulled himself up and began looking for his teammates. In the meantime, Lowry was able to walk to an area with cell service and call 911.
Two other teammates 맥스카지노 August Harrison of Vernal, Utah, and Orrin Jackson of Kersey, Colorado 맥스카지노 helped the badly injured Cummings off the mountain, carrying him at times. Lowry was able to walk by himself.
Both ended up at Billings Clinic Hospital, where Cummings underwent surgery. Neither man was listed as a patient there on Tuesday, hospital spokesperson Zach Benoit said.
Other members of the wrestling team joined coach Jim Zeigler at the hospital to support their injured teammates.
맥스카지노I'm proud of them, just the way they love each other, they way they protected each other, the way they stuck together,맥스카지노 Zeigler told the Deseret News. 맥스카지노I can't imagine the horror, the terror of it. I don't think they realized until after it was over how frightening it was. They just did what they did, helped each other survive and they lived to tell about it and I'm proud of them.맥스카지노
Dallas Lowry credited Cummings with saving his son's life.
맥스카지노That young man over there 맥스카지노 Kendell is a hero,맥스카지노 Dallas Lowry told KSL. 맥스카지노Any normal person would have turned and ran, but these bonds that they build in college athletics last forever.맥스카지노
Brady Lowry echoed his father's remarks.
맥스카지노Me and (Cummings) would both be dead if it wasn맥스카지노t all four of us 맥스카지노 if it wasn맥스카지노t for (Cummings) pulling the hair, if it wasn맥스카지노t for (Harrison) running up and scaring the bear away and not coming back for more,맥스카지노 Brady Lowry said. 맥스카지노It was a team effort. We love each other. We맥스카지노re going to be best friends for the rest of our lives because of this.맥스카지노
Wyoming wildlife officials said they will not try to capture and relocate or kill the bear because it was a surprise attack and because there are many other bears in the area, making it difficult for them to determine which bear was involved.