A group of four college students were hiking a mountain in a remote area of the Shoshone National Forest in Cody, Wyoming, on Oct. 15, 2022. Almost immediately after friends Kendell Bybee Cummings, 19, and Brady R. Lowry, 21, discovered fresh bear scat, a grizzly bear came out of the nearby woods and attacked Lowry, striking him with its paws and knocking him to the ground. The bear bit his arm, fracturing the bone. Running from about 60 feet away Cummings, of Evanston, Wyoming, moved to a point about 20 feet behind the bear as it continued to attack Lowry. Cummings shouted and threw rocks and sticks at the bear, but it did nothing to deter the animal from continuing its attack. Cummings then ran up behind the bear where he pulled on its ear and fur to disrupt its attack on Lowry. The bear swung its head around and pursued Cummings as he ran, while Lowry left the scene to get help. The estimated 450-pound grizzly bear then attacked Cummings twice, biting him numerous times in his arm, leg, and head, before it eventually walked away. Lowry managed to get a cell phone signal and called 911 before meeting the two other friends. They searched for Cummings, eventually meeting him as he descended. They carried him part of the way as they walked to a road at the bottom of the mountain. Lowry and Cummings were taken to a hospital to be treated for their injuries. Lowry suffered a fractured arm and puncture wounds to his body. Cummings sustained puncture wounds to his arms, legs, head, and face. Both were scarred extensively and Lowry’s wrist continued to heal.
