College wrestler injured saving teammate from bear attack

BILLINGS, Mont. (KSL) - A Wyoming college wrestler didn’t hesitate to help when a grizzly bear attacked his teammate, even though it meant he got attacked himself.

Brady Lowry and three of his wresting teammates from Northwest College were antler hunting Saturday near Cody, Wyoming, when two of them were suddenly attacked by a grizzly bear.

“It was a big bear. Looked scary, mean, teeth, drooling, breath stank,” Brady Lowry said. “Broke my arm. That was the first thing it got. It bit me on the arm and shook me around, threw me.”

Kendell Cummings (right) survived two attacks by a grizzly bear after he drew its attention... — Kendell Cummings (right) survived two attacks by a grizzly bear after he drew its attention away from his college wrestling teammate, Brady Lowry (left), whom it had attacked first.(Source: Brady Lowry, KSL via CNN)

He says teammate Kendell Cummings began yelling at the bear, trying to get its attention. He then kicked it and pulled at its fur. The bear eventually chased after Cummings.

“It tackled me and chewed me up a little bit. And then when it was done, it wandered off, and I started calling out for Brady to make sure he was all right,” Cummings said.

The bear circled back and attacked Cummings a second time, injuring his head and cheek, but it eventually took off.

Both Brady Lowry and Cummings were left badly injured.

“We heard Kenny yell. He came out of the trees where the bear was at, and he was just covered in blood,” Brady Lowry said.

After rescue crews reached the young men, Brady Lowry and Cummings were flown to a Montana hospital, where they were treated for broken bones and lacerations. The latter has undergone multiple surgeries and is still hospitalized.

It was a horrifying situation for the close-knit wrestlers, but they’re grateful that things weren’t worse.

“I’m glad all four of us walked off that mountain,” Brady Lowry said.

Their families are also grateful, not just for how the young men handled the attack but also for the support they’ve received afterward.

“When I showed up, that whole wrestling team was here. Sat with these guys for two days solid. That young man over there, Kendell, is a hero,” said Brady Lowry’s father, Dallas Lowry. “He saved my son’s life.”

As the wrestlers recover, their bond is stronger than ever. Brady Lowry says they will be forever linked due to what they survived.

“I don’t think anyone else, less than a wrestling team with the bond we have, they wouldn’t have handled it as well as we did,” he said.