Hunter crushed by falling 25st bear he shot

A HUNTER was left fighting for his life after shooting a black bear that then fell on him.

US soldier William McCormick, 28, was with a friend when the wounded 25-stone animal tumbled down a slope and crushed him.

McCormick was also injured by a dislodged rock, police reported.

State Troopers said they received a distress message from near Carter Lake, in Chugach National Forest, Alaska, on Saturday. A police spokesman added: “The pair were hunting in the area and shot a bear above them on a ridge.

“The bear rolled down the slope, dislodging rocks in the process.

“One hunter, identified as William McCormick, was injured when he was struck by both a rock and the bear. His hunting partner, Zachary Tennyson, 19, was uninjured.”

McCormick was flown by helicopter to Providence Alaska Medical Centre, Anchorage, to be treated for what were described as “lifethreatening injuries”.

The US Army said the two men were on a recreational hunting trip about 100 miles south of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city.

Both are members of the 25th Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage. State officials have not said whether or not the bear was killed.