Deadhorse, AL./Seattle, WA. -A Washington man survives a bear attack in Alaska and lives to tell the tale. Jadon Nicoara, a 27-year-old man from Walla Walla, Wash., is back home recovering after surviving a brown bear attack while hunting caribou in the Alaskan wilderness about 100 miles south of Deadhorse.
Following emergency treatment at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Nicoara returned home with extensive injuries to his face and body.
According to Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials, bear attacks of this nature are extremely rare, and surviving one is even rarer.
The attack took place near the Arctic Circle, requiring emergency responders to send out an SOS and airlift Nicoara to a hospital in Anchorage before transferring him more than 1,800 miles away to Seattle for specialized medical care.
Nicoara and his cousin were hunting in the remote tundra when they heard movement in the brush shortly before the animal tackled him. “And we just heard a little bit of movement and some rustling in the bushes,” Nicoara said. The bear quickly overpowered him. “Then it finally got on top of me and it started biting my face and I could feel like all the bones….I could hear it crunching,” he recalled.
Fearing the attack would be fatal, he pulled out his mobile phone to record a message for his family. “I pulled my phone out and filmed a video for my wife because I thought I was going to die,” Nicoara said. “Saying bye to my wife and my two beautiful girls.”
Nicoara’s cousin intervened by firing his gun at the bear, drawing the animal away from Nicoara. “Once he finished emptying the mag, the bear ran straight toward him. And I’m like, oh no, he’s dead,” Nicoara said. “And it hit him and started to bite his legs.” Nicoara then began shooting at the bear himself, which finally forced the animal to flee.
Both hunters sustained severe injuries during the encounter. “But my foot was crushed, and I couldn’t see very well because my nose was hanging down a little bit and this eye too was like covered by a flap of skin,” Nicoara said.
The bear inflicted severe facial fractures during the mauling. “Because my nose is… like all of the bones are shattered and all around my eye sockets, too,” Nicoara said. Despite the severe damage, he expressed deep gratitude that his sight and physical capabilities remained intact.
“And I have my eyesight, and I have all of my limbs,” Nicoara said. “I work in the trades so I am so thankful that I have my hands and to be able to recover for sure.”
His cousin has also been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. Following the ordeal, Nicoara emphasized his focus on spending time with his family. “Make the time count and be there for my girls. Spend more time with my family,” Nicoara said.
Nicoara is scheduled to undergo facial reconstruction surgery in the coming week as he continues his recovery at home.