Hiker recounts grizzly bear attack at Glacier National Park

Daniel Crago, a 32-year-old hiker, was hiking off the Grinnell Glacier Trail in Glacier National Park on May 28 when he encountered a grizzly bear. He told ABC News in an interview published Monday that he first spotted what he believed to be a bear cub, then looked up to see a larger grizzly about 15 feet above him.

“This bear, as soon as we looked at each other, it charged towards me,” Crago said.

Crago, who described himself as an experienced hiker, attempted to follow bear safety protocol by calling out to alert the bear of his presence, according to the National Park Service. The NPS said the area had loud rushing water that made it difficult for either Crago or the bear to detect one another. Crago said he was carrying bear spray, as recommended by the NPS, but did not have time to deploy it.

The bear took “a leap towards me,” Crago said. “You could hear the roar, and I just stuck my arm up out of self-defense.”

The bear bit Crago on his right forearm, breaking both bones, then dragged him about 20 feet before running away, he said. Crago’s friend and other nearby hikers came to his aid. A doctor among the group fashioned a tourniquet on his arm to reduce blood loss. Crago was airlifted to a hospital for treatment.

Crago has undergone three surgeries and is likely to require a skin graft, according to the report. He has started an online GoFundMe campaign to help cover medical expenses.

Crago told ABC News that he was extremely lucky and grateful to be able to wake up every day and make the most of each day.

Glacier National Park, which spans about 1,583 square miles of the Rocky Mountains, is home to nearly 1,000 black and grizzly bears, according to the NPS. Bear attacks remain rare; the chances of being injured by a bear are approximately one in 2.1 million, the agency said. Still, Glacier is considered a hotspot for bear encounters.

In a separate incident earlier this year, park authorities recovered the body of a hiker believed to have been killed by a bear in May — the first such fatality in the park since 1998.