A Denver teenager who survived a bear attack is out of the hospital and back home.
Sam Gottsegen, 17, was seriously injured July 23 when his group stumbled upon a grizzly and her cub. Gottsegen was backpacking with six other teens in Alaska.
“It was absolutely horrifying,” Gottsegen said. “The bear was right there and just launched on my friend and then came after me. When it bit down on my head, I could hear it crunch and then you could hear it snarling. Everyone was screaming.”
The bear punctured Gottsegen’s lung, crushed two ribs, and left bite marks, gashes and cuts all over his body.
“The only thing I was really thinking about was if I keep breathing, I’ll live,” he said. “It was, it was really hard.”
Now he’s bouncing back and ready to get on with his life. He’ll be a senior this year at East High School.
“I’m amazed at how quickly I’m healing,” he said. 9News
