A woman survived a mauling by a bear by repeatedly punching the animal and crawling into a bush as her Chihuahua-mix distracted the attacker.<\/b>
\nBy MARK SCOLFORO
A woman survived a mauling by a bear by repeatedly punching the animal and crawling into a bush as her Chihuahua-mix distracted the attacker.
Melinda LeBarron has broken bones, cuts and bruises and multiple bites after the attack outside her home in rural Pennsylvania on Wednesday evening, her son said. She remained hospitalized in critical condition Friday.
Her dog \u2014 fittingly named Bear \u2014 was also bitten several times and has a broken sternum and separated ribs.
\u201cI\u2019ll just put it this way \u2014 she\u2019s very, very lucky to be alive,\u201d said her son, Trent LeBarron, who described her as a tough person. \u201cShe was punching the bear and everything. Her right hand\u2019s all swollen up from punching the bear.\u201d
The attack began when she went outside with her dog around 6 p.m. When Bear the dog barked, Melinda LeBarron, a 51-year-old food prepper at a steakhouse restaurant, looked around to see what had startled the canine.
\u201cThe next thing she knew, she was on the ground getting slammed around,\u201d said her son.
The black bear dragged Melinda about 80 yards (70 meters) through her yard, across a road, and into a thicket, while the dog tried to intervene, biting the black bear several times. Some of her clothes were ripped off in the process.
The attack left a trail of blood that relatives later followed.
\u201cAs she said in her own words, the bear wouldn\u2019t show her no mercy at all,\u201d Trent LeBarron said. \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t stop.\u201d
Eventually Melinda LeBarron went limp, and the bear took an interest in the dog, giving her a chance to climb into a small bush. She then threw a stick to distract the bear and finally made her way home to call a relative for help.
Bear the dog somehow got back into the home and was found whimpering beneath a bed.
\u201cShe\u2019s stable now,\u201d Trent LeBarron said. \u201cShe\u2019s doing good, she\u2019s actually doing very good. She has a long ways to go and a lot of lot of surgeries coming up.\u201d
Before Melinda LeBarron was able to speak, she wrote on a pad to ask how her dog was doing.
\u201cWe asked her if Bear saved her life,\u201d Trent LeBarron said. She nodded her head yes \u201cso fast it was unreal.\u201d
The attack occurred in a rural area outside Muncy, Pennsylvania, roughly 165 miles (265 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia.
Wildlife officials told WNEP-TV they are trying to track the bear. Game Commission spokesman Travis Lau said his agency believes it is a sow with cubs and the attack occurred after the dog ran toward the bears.
Mike Levan, Melinda LeBarron\u2019s neighbor and landlord, whose wife called 911, said a bear sow and four cubs were seen in the neighborhood all summer.<\/p>\n