A Florida woman who was brutally attacked by a bear on Saturday night spoke about her harrowing ordeal to NBC News.
Terri Frana, 44, of Lake Mary, was in her garage when one of the five bears attacked her, causing her to receive 30 staples in her scalp and 10 stitches on her forehead.
"I can't close my eyes and not think about it, see it, feel it, but that will go away in time and I'm here,'' Frana told NBC News. "I'm here for my kids."
After noticing bears while sitting on the back porch of her home, Frana went around the house to check on her children to make sure they were safe. When she entered her garage, she noticed several bears inside and on the driveway.
"I saw this large bear charging at me,'' she said. "She opened her jaw and clamped down onto my head, and I could just hear her teeth marks going through my scalp."
All she could think about during the terrifying incident was her children.
"I said, 'Please, my kids need me,'" Frana said.
Once it was over, the frantic mother was able to pull herself back inside where her oldest son, Drew, 15, saw her and called 911.
Because their home is close to a nature preserve, sightings of and interactions with bears is not uncommon, Frana explained to NBC.
"Unfortunately, we just got too comfortable with them being around,'' she added.
By Sunday night, one bear was killed and three others were captured by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Officials with the commission told the Orlando Sentinel that more bears will be on the move as they leave their winter dens.
