Current:Home > StocksMontana man mauled by a grizzly bear gets to go home after five weeks in the hospital. -ProfitLogic
Montana man mauled by a grizzly bear gets to go home after five weeks in the hospital.
View
Date:2025-04-16 13:47:23
A hunter who was attacked by a grizzly bear in Montana's Custer Gallatin National Forest will go home after five weeks in the hospital where he received jaw reconstruction surgery, in addition to other procedures, the hunter, his family and doctors said at a news conference.
Rudy Noorlander, 61, was tracking deer with a group of people on Sept. 8, near Yellow Mule Trail about 50 miles southwest of Bozeman, Montana, when a grizzly bear attacked him. According to the Associated Press, the grizzly bear bit off part of his jaw.
First responders arrived in a helicopter and transferred him to a nearby hospital in Bozeman, Montana. After emergency surgery, he moved to the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City.
Noorlander's daughter, Katelynn Davis, spoke for him at a University of Utah Hospital news conference. According to Davis, Noorlander was prepared with a gun and bear spray but needed more time to stop the bear from attacking.
She explained that the only thing that helped Noorlander was that he was with a group that could scare the grizzly bear away.
Recent bear attack:73-year-old woman attacked by bear near US-Canada border, officials say; park site closed
Jaw reconstruction surgery
Dr. Hillary McCrary, a surgeon at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital in Utah, was present for the news conference. She explained that because his lower jaw and larynx sustained several injuries in the attack, Noorlander underwent many surgeries to correct his jaw, including a reconstruction surgery.
"We took a portion of his fibula bone and some of his skin with an artery and a vein and hooked that to an artery and a vein in the neck," said Dr. McCrary." And then my partner Dr. Cannon took some of the skin's soft tissue and transplanted that to the head and neck to reconstruct his lower lip."
Dr. Mccrary commended Noorlander on his optimism through his surgeries and recovery journey, noting that Noorlander wants to fight through his recovery.
Plans for the future
Noorlander will be able to speak again; however, because of the intensive surgery and trauma to the area around his vocal folds, there is no specific timeline for when Noorlander will fully talk again, according to Dr.McCarthy.
During the news conference, Noorlander answered questions by writing on a whiteboard. Davis was present at the press conference to speak on his behalf.
"The things that give him hope and motivation to get through this is family and life," said Davis. "My job proves that most people are good, and I can't wait to get back to it and win round two."
According to Davis, Noorlander plans to return to work and where the attack happened. It was not his first encounter with a bear; he had been walking the trail years before the attack.
Davis explained that her father would like to write a book one day and jokingly admits that he would like Cole Hauser from the hit TV show "Yellowstone" to play him in a movie.
"Only by the hands of God am I here; I've had a lot of inspirations, and I felt the need to share my story with others," said Noorlander. "Believe it or not, I believe this attack answered my prayers. And, potentially, it can help someone from going through something similar."
veryGood! (8784)
Related
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- ICC drops war crimes charges against former Central African Republic government minister
- Some UFO reports from military witnesses present potential flight concerns, government UAP report says
- Marine killed in Camp Lejeune barracks and fellow Marine held as suspect, the base says
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Powerball winning numbers from Oct. 18 drawing: Jackpot at $70 million
- How The Golden Bachelor’s Joan Vassos Feels About “Reliving” Her Sudden Exit
- 'Organs of Little Importance' explores the curious ephemera that fill our minds
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- US Navy warship in Red Sea intercepts three missiles heading north out of Yemen
Ranking
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Family of an American held hostage by Hamas urges leaders to do everything, and we mean everything, to bring them back
- Will Smith joins Jada Pinkett Smith at book talk, calls their relationship brutal and beautiful
- Republicans are facing death threats as the election for speaker gets mired in personal feuds
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Japan and Australia agree to further step up defense cooperation under 2-month-old security pact
- Phoenix Mercury hire head coach with no WNBA experience. But hey, he's a 'Girl Dad'
- More Americans make it back home, as flights remain limited from Israel
Recommendation
Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
Lupita Nyong'o hints at split from Selema Masekela: 'A season of heartbreak'
Hollywood actors strike nears 100th day. Why talks failed and what's next
Some UFO reports from military witnesses present potential flight concerns, government UAP report says
The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
Michael Penix headlines the USA TODAY Sports midseason college football All-America team
Birds nesting in agricultural lands more vulnerable to extreme heat, study finds
Ukraine’s parliament advances bill seen as targeting Orthodox church with historic ties to Moscow