Man recounts rescue of Anchorage girl mauled by bear
Originally published Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 9:38 a.m.
Updated Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 11:52 a.m.
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Stumble It!ANCHORAGE -- The man credited with saving the life of a fellow mountain bike racer after she was mauled by a bear thought at first someone had merely stopped for a bathroom break in the middle of the 24-hour event.
Endurance cycler Peter Basinger early Sunday morning spotted a bike dumped in the bushes of Rover's Run trail in Anchorage's Far North Bicentennial Park.
A little farther on, he spotted a person sitting in the middle of the trail. She was covered with blood.
"They just turned around and said, 'Bear,'" Basinger told the Anchorage Daily News.
The person was 15-year-old Petra Davis, a girl Basinger had known for years and coached in cross-country skiing.
The teen suffered head, neck, leg and torso wounds, including damage to a lung, but is expected to recover.
"The family of Petra Davis would like people to know that she is still being treated in the critical care unit, but she is expected to make a full recovery," her father, Mark Davis, said in prepared statement.
He asked for privacy "until Petra can tell her story in her own words."
Basinger did not recognize the girl on the trail. She motioned behind herself, as if to indicate the bear might be nearby. Basinger picked her up and carried her toward a stand of cottonwood trees, where he thought they might be safer.
As he considered what to do next, the badly injured girl handed him her cell phone.
"She had it in her hand," he said. "I thought, 'Oh, thank God, we have a phone.'"
He tried to dial 911, but the keypad was locked. Basinger asked her to unlock the phone. He put her feet up to help against shock, cradled her head and dialed. After twice failing to connect to the emergency number, and finally realizing he was holding Davis, Basinger called a friend, Greg Matyas, one of the race organizers, who was helping at an aid station.
"I told him to call 911, Petra's been mauled by a bear," Basinger said.
Matyas and an EMT volunteer took off toward the attack scene, called 911 and gave dispatchers Davis's cell number.
"911 called me back," Basinger said. "I started trying to explain to them where we were."
The park is a maze of dirt trails through forest. Dispatcher took Basinger's information and gave him first-aid advice.
"They were telling me to put pressure on where she was bleeding," Basinger said. "I kept trying to tell them there was blood everywhere, and it was dark."
Ten minutes after Basinger found Davis, another bike racer, Will Ross, rode up. Basinger told Ross to ride to a nearby road, meet the paramedics and guide them in.
"He tells me to make lots of noise," Ross said. "We didn't know where the bear was."
The college student raced off, screaming at the top of his voice, reached the road and saw red flashing lights go flying by. He then met Matyas and the EMT, who'd driven up.
Matyas and the EMT took off down the trail to Basinger and Davis. Ross flagged down the emergency responders, then waited for Anchorage police to arrive to provide an armed escort.
"It was a little frustrating" to wait, he said, but he felt better going back with patrolmen carrying shotguns.
Basinger made his first contact with dispatchers at 1:37 a.m. and by 2:18 paramedics had Davis' bleeding controlled and her body lashed to a backboard. They carried her to an ambulance.
Basinger joined police intercepting other bike racers and directing them off the 8.6-mile race course.
"It was a miracle that Pete found her," Matyas said. "He knows her. He knows the family. He's very cool-headed."
Basinger on Monday went to see Davis at Providence Alaska Medical Center.
"Luckily, she's going to be OK," he said. "She's a pretty tough kid."
Community Discussion
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Very glad to hear she is doing well. After reading the ADN article, it seems she is a very fortunate young woman with some amazing friends & family.
Glad she will be alright, my prayers are with her.
We all need to get first aid training so we are ready in times like this. Thank goodness you were her guardian angel.
What a story. Poor little girl. Very heroic on young Petra's part, and with Basinger's and Ross's cool reactions. They saved her life.
These men saved this young woman's life for sure! Now, the race committee needs to look at their procedures and trails for cycling. The city of Anchorage needs to ensure that their parks are safe for humans. If this means taking some bears out, moose out, or any other hazards out, it needs to be done. Hope this young lady recovers quickly and completely.
Petra sounds like a tough girl. I can't figure out how to unlock a cell phone keypad in the best of circumstances.
Don't take this wrong, I anticipate her story should she choose to tell it.. Was the bear in the trail or was it tracking her and decided to go for her? In Fairbanks we had bear trouble for about 2-3 years, now they are all over Anchorage.. Somethin's wrong with the world today, I don't know what it is...
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