Dad Attacked by Bear in Front of His Son Has Died, Family Says

A 72-year-old Arkansas man has died after being injured in a black bear attack earlier this month, according to state officials and his family.

A spokesperson for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission told PEOPLE that Vernon Patton of Ozark, Ark., died on Sunday, Sept. 14, less than two weeks after encountering the animal in the Mulberry Mountain area on Wednesday, Sept. 3. His family also confirmed the news with KNWA/KFTA.

Prior to his death, he had been moved to hospice care in Springdale.

The attack happened while Patton was spreading gravel on a road. When his son arrived to check on him, he found his father being mauled, officials said in an initial statement shared with PEOPLE. The agency said the juvenile male bear weighed around 70 lbs.

The spokesperson told USA Today that Patton experienced “severe cuts and puncture wounds to his head and arms.” 

In the days after the attack, his family said that they did not think he would survive.

“Our beloved father, grandfather, husband and hero, Vernon Patton, was seriously injured in a bear attack while he was doing what he loved, working on his land with his family,” Patton’s family said in a statement days after the attack, according to ABC affiliate KHBS.

“Vernon is currently being cared for in the ICU in Little Rock. While he remains in stable condition, his injuries are extensive and ultimately not survivable,” the family continued.

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The AGFC spokesperson described the rare incident to USA Today, noting “there have been no documented bear attacks on humans in Arkansas in at least 25 years.” 

According to the North American Bear Center, black bears kill less than one person per year on average in North America.