Woman thought 'I'm going to die' after brutal attack by 'angry bear' in garden
A woman who was bitten on the back of her head by an "angry bear" after jumping over her garden fence has admitted she thought she was "going to die."
Lee Ann Galant, from Butler Township, Pennsylvania, is recovering in hospital following the traumatic ordeal that happened at around 8.30am on Tuesday. She had just let her dog Smokie out in the garden when she saw three large bear cubs and their "very powerful and angry" mum emerged "out of the dark."
"I see this big bear just jump over the fence, and there's Smokie. So I start screaming, 'Smokie, Smokie'", she told local TV news station WPXI from Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.
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Lee Ann Galant is recovering in hospital following the bear attack (CBS News)The bear then charged at the 55-year-old and knocked her face-first to the ground. "She bites the back of my head so hard that I thought she was going to scalp me," she added.
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"I just kept thinking: 'I can't believe this is happening. This can't be happening. I'm being attacked by a bear'. "I thought, 'This is it - I'm going to die.'"
During the frightening incident, the angry bear managed to get close to Smokie, before hurtling towards Ms Galante, knocking her to the ground and biting her left arm. "She came up behind me and she pushed me down, and my face went smack right into our cement," she said.
The mauling happened around 8.30am on Tuesday (CBS News)"Then she got me by the back of the head and she was pulling so hard on it I thought I was going to get scalped." Ms Galanate said the dog "kept distracting" the bear, adding: "I'm just so thankful he wasn't really hurt."
The pair were eventually able to rush back inside the house before calling for emergency services. Ms Galante was taken to hospital where she needed dozens of surgical staples to the back of her head. In addition, she also suffered a broken nose, cuts inside her mouth, puncture wounds on her arm, and scratches. Fortunately, Smokie escaped unharmed.
She revealed the bear attacked her after jumping over her garden fence (CBS News)"She has a fair amount of puncture wounds on the back of her neck, on her arm itself, and pretty significant tears and lacerations across her scalp. And she also has several broken bones of her nose and her face," said trauma surgeon Dr. Jennifer Chen.
Despite the frightening attack, Ms Galante is only concerned she won't be able to make an upcoming trip. "She's going on a big trip to Italy. I said, 'hopefully, let's aim for that,'" Chen said, adding, "She's a trooper."
According to the Game Commission, it is likely the bear was likely being protective of her cubs and hungry. The bird feeders in the garden are also tempting for the animals. The Game Commission euthanized the adult bear.
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