Image: ark_bear

A 72-year-old bear-attack victim died from his injuries 11 days after the incident. (Photo by Robert Harding Video)

An elderly Arkansas man who was attacked by a bear earlier this month has died from his injuries. According to 5newsonline, 72-year-old Vernon Patton was spreading gravel with his tractor on Sept. 3 when a juvenile black bear attacked him.

Patton was rushed to Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville before transferring to UAMS.

The family issued a statement following the attack.

"Our beloved father, grandfather, husband and hero, Vernon Patton, was seriously injured in a bear attack while he was doing what he loved, working on his land with his family. Vernon is currently being cared for in the ICU in Little Rock. While he remains in stable condition, his injuries are extensive and ultimately not survivable.”

Keith Stephens with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) confirmed that Patton died on September 14. AGFC officials say the attack was unprovoked and rare.

"It is exceedingly rare to have a black bear attack on a human... It's not something that happens very often with black bears," Trey Reid with AGFC said. "I've been at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for almost 20 years and have never heard of a black bear attack on a human."

The necropsy is not complete, but the bear tested negative for rabies and distemper.

Reid said the nature of the attack was so unusual that officials believe there was likely something wrong with the bear and hope that further testing will provide them with answers.