Mountain Bike Ride Turns Deadly After Cougar Attack in Washington State
OutdoorHub Reporters 05.21.18
A cougar attack during an early morning mountain bike ride left one man dead and another frantically riding for two miles through the woods to get help.
The two men were biking on a remote trail 30 miles east of Seattle when the cougar pounced.
“He jumped the first victim and attacked him,” Sgt. Ryan Abbott, of the King County Sheriff’s Office said. “The second victim turned and started to run away. The cougar saw that and went after the second victim. The first victim saw his friend being pulled by the cougar. He got on his bike and started to bike away.”
And being in the remote country they were in, the wounded man had to ride for approximately two miles before having enough cell service to make a call for help.
Patient Status Update: The 31-year-old male, who sustained injuries during a mountain lion attack near North Bend, has been upgraded to satisfactory condition. He will be admitted to the hospital for further care.
— Harborview Seattle (@harborviewmc) May 20, 2018
Neither of the victim’s names have been released.
Sgt. Abbott said it took rescuers about 30 minutes to locate the second victim, who was found dead with the cougar standing over top of him.
“The deputies shot at him and spooked him, and he ran off,” CNBC reports Abbott saying.
Authorities then ensued on a tracking job that lasted for several hours. They eventually found the cat up in a tree 50 to 200 yards away, and killed it.
Rich Beausoleil, the state’s bear and cougar specialist, said this was only the second fatality in the state in the last 94 years.
Here’s a photo of the cougar that attacked two men on a mountain bike ride near North Bend today. One man died. Another man is at Harborview Medical Center tonight @komonews #komonews #Cougarattack pic.twitter.com/gVQSLL3CwB
— Tammy Mutasa (@TammyKOMO) May 20, 2018
