‘It was a miracle’: Wyoming college wrestlers recount surviving grizzly bear attack

POWELL — It’s a grizzly bear assault story that’s drawn nationwide consideration because of the braveness and energy 4 school wrestling teammates displayed, resulting in their survival.

The bear attacked one man within the Wyoming wilderness. His buddy jumped in to save lots of him and suffered the worst of it, however, as he recounted Wednesday, it was the proper factor to do. In a determined transfer that just about value him his personal life, he grabbed a fistful of the bear’s fur and pulled with all his would possibly.

“I needed to get it off. I needed to do one thing. I couldn’t watch my buddy get tore up proper in entrance of me,” Kendell Cummings advised MTN Information in Powell, the place he is recovering from his accidents.

When the teammates at Northwest School in northern Wyoming determined to move to the Bobcat-Houlihan Path for some shed searching Saturday, they by no means anticipated the flip it will take.

“We most likely received 5 or 6 miles again in and it was getting a bit late. We discovered a pair sheds (antlers), all of us discovered a pair, and we have been there, and we determined it’s time to show round and return to the truck,” Brady Lowry stated.

That’s when the group separated. Cummings and Lowry traveled collectively and have been aside from their different two teammates, Orrin Jackson and August Harrison, for round 10 minutes earlier than the assault occurred.

“I seemed over at Kendell and he was most likely solely about 15 yards away from me and I used to be like, ‘dude, there’s bear indicators all over the place,’ and proper after I stated that’s when the crashing began occurring within the bushes … The one factor I had time to say was, ‘Bear! Bear!” Lowry stated.

That’s when a grizzly bear lunged at Lowry, knocking him off a small ledge, leaving Cummings to observe in horror above the grizzly and his buddy.

“It’s gnawing on me. I threw up my arm to guard the primary preliminary chew and its chew broke my arm and it was simply throwing me round down there, simply doing no matter. I used to be helpless,” Lowry stated.

That helpless second is when his buddy jumped into motion by first by yelling and throwing something he might discover on the bear.

“Nothing was working. The bear was simply targeted on Brady and it was getting Brady. So, I finally received up there, proper up subsequent to him, and I grabbed the bear and pulled him off of Brady, and the bear sort of checked out me and took me out onto the bottom and began attacking me,” Cummings stated.

Lowry received up and ran to name 911 and discover his pals, however Cummings didn’t know that and referred to as out to ensure his teammate was okay.

“However once I referred to as out to Brady, I feel the bear knew that I used to be nonetheless within the space, and I used to be nonetheless a risk. So, it got here again round and received me once more,” Cummings stated.

Whereas the assaults have been occurring, Harrison and Jackson had overlooked their pals and have been utterly unaware of what was happening.

“We lastly resolve the basin and we, after we lastly discovered them, that’s when Brady was coming down the mountain yelling for assist,” Harrison stated.

Lowry adopted with, “They lastly received what I used to be saying to them and sort of hustled as much as the place I used to be at, and we have been most likely 100, 150 yards under the place we received attacked by the bear.”

Jackson remembers the sensation of getting to stroll again up the mountain to seek for Cummings.

“We thought Kendell was useless, actually, and we have been truthfully ready to go up there and discover his physique,” Jackson stated.

However he wasn’t useless. He had gone limp through the second assault and believes that’s the reason the bear left him alone. After three minutes of laying, ready to ensure the bear was gone, he received up and began strolling down the mountain.

“I received about midway [down] earlier than I might hear August yelling at me and I sort of yelled again after which we linked up and so they received me off the mountain,” Cummings recounts.

The younger males nonetheless needed to make their strategy to a hospital. With the assistance of farmers within the space, the teammates made it to the trailhead.

“Once I was using in that side-by-side, I used to be chilly and that’s when it began to hit me that I’d been attacked, and I would like some severe assist,” Cummings stated.

As soon as on the trailhead the get together met up with native Search and Rescue crews. Cummings was instantly flown by rescue helicopter to a Billings hospital, and Lowry was later transported by ambulance to the identical hospital. Each sustained severe accidents however have since been launched from the hospital.

“I thank, you realize, each considered one of them, and I’m positive Kendell does, too. We actually, it was a miracle that, all the things was a miracle, the entire story,” Lowry stated.

“I’m simply glad they’re each out now and we might be collectively,” Jackson adopted.

The younger males anticipate getting again on the wrestling mat finally, however for now, Cummings is house in Evanston, Wyoming, to proceed restoration.