Montour County man survives bear attack in his own garage
WILKES BARRE-SCRANTON, Pa. (CNN) -- A man is still in shock after being attacked by a bear in his own garage in Danville, Pennsylvania.
"I felt the impact of something hitting me, and it was very quick and loud," said John Swartz, who was attacked by a bear.
Thursday evening, John Swartz was filling up a kiddie pool on the side of his Montour County house for his granddaughter. Once the pool was filled, he walked into his garage to turn off the hose, unknowingly startling a hungry bear rummaging through his trash.
"My head hurt and it knocked me against the wall," Swartz recalled. "Little did we know, until we received the video as to what happened outside -- I didn't realize I fell over the bear and continued down the sidewalk holding my head and continued into the house to retrieve a washcloth. I knew I had injuries and I had blood coming down."
The startled bear bit Swartz on top of his head as it quickly made its way out of the garage.
Swartz said he ran into his living room to his shocked wife, who quickly called 9-1-1 and frantically helped cover his wound.
"We'll never forget. It was horrible, but we're lucky that it's all that happened," his wife, Lori Swartz said. "He has a couple of wounds but they'll heal."
Swartz was taken to Geisinger Medical Center, where he received treatment for the bite marks on his head, including a tetanus shot to avoid diseases or illnesses the bear may have.
State police also responded to the scene.
Within hours of the attack, a Pennsylvania Game Commission officer quickly set up a bear trap to try and capture the bear responsible for the attack.
The trap is filled with donuts and sugary syrup with the hopes the smell of sweets will attract bears to the trap.
Swartz said that despite being attacked, he doesn't necessarily want the bear to be euthanized.
"It's very understandable as to why it did what it did. I surprised [it] and it surprised me," he said. "It had one way out and it was through me."
The couple also has two outdoor cats who didn't attack the bear when it crossed the lawn, but did run to Swartz's defense during the attack.
The couple said that they will still allow their cats to be outdoor cats, as they haven't had any issues with their cats in the past.