Jogger In Long Barn Attacked By Bear

Photo taken by: Irene Reti

Long Barn, CA – A jogger is lucky to be alive after surviving a bear attack in the Long Barn area of Tuolumne County yesterday evening.

Called to the scene just after 5 p.m. on Monday were paramedics and Mi Wuk Sugar Pine Fire Protection District Captain Dan Sedlmeyer, whose station is nearby.

“When we got there, he [the victim] was on a chair with some neighbors that basically, I feel, saved his life,” stated Sedlmeyer. “We were able to treat the patient with a puncture wound to his leg and pretty significant scratches to his back.”

The man, who has not been identified, recounted that he was jogging on North Fork Road near Merrill Springs Road, off of Long Barn Road, when he came across a baby bear, and seconds later, the mama bear attacked from the nearby bushes. Fire Capt. Sedlmeyer stated, “The man ran behind a tree at first and took a pretty big log that he found and tried to smack her a couple of times to keep her away, but that didn’t work as the log just broke. That is when he started running again, and basically, the bear just chased him down.”

The jogger saw a home and a car parked out front and jumped on the hood, but the bear kept attacking him. Captain Sedlmeyer explained his early comment about how the neighbors saved the man’s life: “The attack created such a ruckus that the homeowners came outside. They made a bunch of noise, and the bear ran off.”

The jogger was taken to the hospital for treatment and has been released, but his overall condition is unknown.
State Fish and Wildlife officials were also on the scene, trying to find and capture the bear, but there is no word as to whether the animal has been caught. They note that bear attacks are rare, as most avoid humans, but note that a mama bear will attack to protect her cubs. Sedlmeyer reflects, “Not many people can say that they survived a bear attack and lived to talk about it. Bear attacks just don’t happen, so it was crazy that it happened right up the road from us.”