EAGLE RIVER, Ak — Anchorage police say an Eagle River man was hiking about 3/4 of a mile off of Eagle River Road on Saturday, not far from his home, when a bear attacked him.
Police say Howard Meyer, 57, told officers he saw first saw the large brown bear about 50 feet away from him. He tried to run from it, but then tripped and fell, according to Lt. Dave Parker. The bear then swatted Meyer a few times and took off.
After the short attack, Parker says Meyer called APD with his cell phone. Meyer made his way down the mountain and eventually connected up with responding officers.
"This is the time of year we want people to be aware but to be connected- take that cell phone. In this case, that really helped out a lot, being able to finally get together and get him the medical help that he needed," said Parker.
