View Full Version : Bear attack in Alaska
Chubbs4U
07-24-2011, 23:50
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/07/24/alaska.bear.attack/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3 A+Top+Stories%29
Very scary. Hope they all recover.
camojack
07-25-2011, 09:15
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/07/24/alaska.bear.attack/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+(RSS%3A+ Top+Stories) (http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/07/24/alaska.bear.attack/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3 A+Top+Stories%29)
Very scary. Hope they all recover.
I'm glad that Spruce Island (where my cabin is located in Alaska) is free of bears.
If they swim over there, (which one did last year) they get shot... :eek:
WingedMonkey
07-25-2011, 14:08
Once the tragedy of such serious injuries settles down, I am expecting some lawsuits against the National Outdoor Leadership School. Rich people don't like their kids being bear food.
NOLS and Outward Bound get sued all the time. You're right about people who claim that things went wrong and believe they're entitled to compensation, but then they get to read the waivers, releases, and contracts they signed acknowledging the risks. And NOLS and OB carry a lot of liability insurance. It doesn't mean clients can't sue, but they're unlikely to recover damages unless it can be proven that NOLS/OB was grossly/criminally negligent in taking precautions or notifying the clients of the risks. The upshot is that future clients will be paying more and likely receiving less.
This isn't to say that the clients were in any way responsible for what happened to them. Alaska is full of bears, and mother bears are capable of extreme violence where their cubs are concerned. Can't blame the bear. I hope the injured can heal well and have normal lives. Good luck to them.
ChinMusic
07-25-2011, 15:10
This is the first report I can recall on a group over three.
WingedMonkey
07-25-2011, 15:16
The backcountry group was all between 16 and 18. It was their first day unaccompanied by adults.
http://ktna.org/2011/07/25/nols-students-rescued-after-bear-attack-near-denali-state-park/
Jack Tarlin
07-25-2011, 18:18
Please note that I'm talking about Alaska, and not the A.T:
I've read quite a few full length stories about this incident. I see that the good folks at NOLS thought that it was wise and prudent to supply their young charges with emergency beacons, phones, and positioning systems, so that once they were mauled, maimed, and half eaten, at least they could call for help. But in that this was Alaska, how come no trained person was present with a working firearm? All I know is that if I was spending 3 grand on one of these "wilderness experience" hoo-hahs for my kid, I'd kinda wanna make sure they didn't get devoured in the process. I don't care WHAT the parents signed, this sure looks pretty negligent to me, at least if we consider negligence to be contributing to a bad situation that was highly avoidable. But a backcountry group of teenagers in grizzly country without any supervision? Seems pretty dumb to me.