Truck-Driving Hero Uses His Ford Ranger to Save Woman From Violent Elk Attack
Terrifying video shows how a man’s quick-thinking potentially saved the life of one local woman.
A group of people from Estes Park, Colorado can consider themselves lucky after a bull elk began charging at them in broad daylight last Friday. Specifically a woman who was charged at, thrown on the ground, and repeatedly hit by the elk's antlers until a hero and his Ford Ranger pickup truck sprung into action.
The footage of the attack acquired by abc News shows people helplessly being terrorized, including a man diving behind a boulder for protection all while the woman gets picked on by the animal. Even multiple men can be seen trying to figure out what they can do to stop the elk, but ultimately choosing to retreat and find protection. The attack continued while helpless bystanders watched in horror until Brian Berg, the park's supervisor, used his work-issued Ford Ranger as a make-shift barrier to separate the elk from the woman.
Such was the animal's aggression, that the attack did not stop there. The video shows the elk ramming Berg's truck with its enormous antlers a couple more times until deciding to give up.
The woman made it out unharmed, only suffering minor scrapes, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife official Jason Clay. She wasn’t taken to a hospital and didn’t require medical attention, but the man who hopped behind the boulder while trying running away allegedly hit his head and was treated at a local hospital.
Elk is considered a dangerous animal at all times, but especially so in the fall months when mating season begins. Authorities say that male elks become belligerent, unpredictable, and violent at this time of year. Officials mentioned that there may have been another bull nearby, which upset him and triggered the attack.
Elk attacks are pretty rare, and therefore don't typically lead to injury or death. Those are usually caused by motor vehicle accidents, and numbers are rising every year due to shrinking habitats for the large mammals. We're not sure if this is what the Blue Oval had in mind with its "Ford Tough" slogan, but we're just glad the Ranger showed up.