‘If it killed me, it killed me.’ Survivor recounts brutal bear attack in Alaska wild

Allen Minish said he was surveying land near Gulkana in Alaska when he startled a brown bear, triggering an attack that left him with a crushed jaw, lacerations and wound in his scalp.

“I saw him and he saw me at the same time, and it’s scary,” said Minish, 61, the Associated Press reported.

Minish said the Tuesday morning attack, which lasted less than 10 seconds, happened after the bear charged at him while he used his surveying pole to try to keep the animal away, according to the publication.

“In all honesty, it wouldn’t have mattered either way. You know, if it killed me, it killed me. I had a good life; I’m moving on. It didn’t kill me, so now let’s move on to the other direction of trying to stay alive,” he said, the AP reported.

Minish said he tried to hide behind shrubs and grabbed the bear’s jaw to try to stop it from biting him, KTUU reported.

“But then he twisted his head so fast, he knocked my hand free,” Minish said. “And when he did that, he lunged, grabbed my head, took the first bite, relaxed, and took the second bite, that was stronger, and that’s when he cracked all the bones and part of my head.”

Eventually, the bear let go and walked off while Minish tried to shield his face with his arms and hands, according to the station.

Alaska troopers said they responded to the attack and found Minish, helping him to the Alaska Pipeline road. Minish was flown to an Anchorage hospital to be treated, officials said.

The bear has not been found, according to police.