In an exceedingly unusual incident, a 72-year-old man in Franklin County, Arkansas—identified as Vernon Patton—was seriously injured after being attacked by a juvenile black bear while working with his tractor along a gravel road on Wednesday. His son rushed to his aid and managed to drive the approximately 70‑pound bear off him. The victim was airlifted to a hospital and is now in stable condition. Wildlife authorities dispatched game wardens who located and euthanized the bear. This marks the first documented bear attack in the state in at least 25 years, if not longer, making the event especially rare. Officials are conducting a necropsy and rabies testing to determine the bear’s motives and whether it had become accustomed to human food sources.