Bear Attacks 71-Year-Old Jogger in Asheville, North Carolina

Bill Palas, 71, was out for a jog on a mountain trail in Asheville, North Carolina, when he was attacked by a bear.

Palas says as he rounded a corner in the trail, he came upon a black bear cub and knew he was in trouble.

“There was a 20-pound cub there in the trail. That’s when mama got spooked out and tried to protect the cub, and she came right after me,” he told Inside Edition. “We were kind of staring each other down for probably three seconds. They tell us the idea is to wave your arms and holler to try to divert them.”

He said the mama bear then “stood up on her hind legs and she weighs 300 pounds and her head is right in front of mine and she takes her claw and rakes it across my face and chest.”

Palas tried to punch the bear, saying, “I go to hit her in the head and my forearm went into her mouth.”

Fortunately, the mama bear ran off without continuing the attack, but Palas was left with deep wounds on his face and chest. Had it not been for some very successful plastic surgery, he would have been left looking quite different than he did before he went out for his run.