The four women responsible for saving their friend from an attacking cougar were presented the Carnegie Medal at an Oct. 10 ceremony held in Seattle’s City Hall. Presenting the medal were U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Jim Schmidt, and Dean Annette E. Clark from the Seattle University School of Law.
Annie Bilotta, Tisch Schmidt-Williams, Aune Tietz, and Erica Wolf were awarded the medal in June 2024 for saving their friend and cycling teammate Keri Bergere from an attacking cougar while they were cycling together on a forest trail near Fall City, Washington, on Feb. 17, 2024.
Bergere and her four friends were riding on the remote trail when a cougar lunged at her, jumped on her back, and pushed her off her bicycle into a ditch. The juvenile, 75-pound male cougar bit into Bergere’s jaw and clawed her neck and shoulders.
Retired gardener Bilotta, real estate broker Tietz, attorney Wolf, and salesperson Schmidt-Williams immediately responded. Bilotta jumped on the animal while Tietz was able to pull the cougar’s hind legs off Bergere. Schmidt-Williams ran over with a rock and a few sticks to fight the animal. Wolf called 911, but the call dropped in the remote area. Wolf discarded her phone and bicycle, retrieved a stick, and also began to fight the cougar. Bilotta pulled one of the animal’s paws off of Bergere and stuck her hand into its mouth, hoping to pry open its jaw to release her friend. The four women battled the cougar for 15 minutes.
As the cougar readjusted its bite, Bergere moved away as Tietz pulled the animal’s head back. Wolf picked up her bicycle and the four women worked together to pin the cougar to the ground with it. The women then stood on the bicycle for another 30 minutes. Two other cyclists arrived and helped hold the cougar down. They stood on top of the bicycle until a fish and wildlife officer arrived and shot and killed the cougar. Bergere was taken to a hospital for multiple jaw fractures, facial nerve damage, and lacerations on her face, ears, neck, shoulders, arms, and back. Each of the four women sustained minor cuts or bruises but were otherwise uninjured and recovered.
Bergere spoke at the presentation to honor the women who saved her life.
“I spent nearly fifteen excruciating, exhausting, fearful minutes in that fight. Never giving up. And I know they weren’t going to either.”
Representative Jayapal posted on Instagram to express her admiration for the four heroes.
“It was an honor to present the Carnegie Hero Award to four brave women who saved their friend from a cougar attack. Their strength, resilience, and heroism is an inspiration.”