[blueunicorn6]

I was on a Trail Crew with the US Forest Service.

I was carrying a brush saw one day because there was a thick growth of Huckleberry bushes across the trail.

I was a ways ahead of my partner.

I strapped on the cutting chaps and reached down to pull the starting cord on the saw.

I pulled the cord and a bear exploded out of the bushes.

Bears have explosive starting power.

I did exactly what I wasn’t supposed to do and ran back down the trail yelling “Bear! Bear!”.

I don’t know what kind of bear it was.

We were in Grizzly country.

I don’t know why the bear didn’t take me.

Maybe it was surprised by the sound of the saw.

[marktwain]

I am not saying surprize, very close attacks do not happen.

However, I believe they are way overrepresented in the statistics, exactly because the bear is much more likely to injure a person in that scenario than others.

If no person is injured, the incidents seldom make the news (or the academic papers).