A 68-year-old woman suffered a brutal bear attack on a coffee plantation in South Sumatra, Indonesia. The bear clawed and dragged her roughly 10 metres before she was rushed to the hospital for emergency reconstructive surgery. Despite massive trauma to the left side of her face, she remained conscious during the ordeal.
Severe Facial Trauma
Doctors found she had a full-thickness avulsion injury with multiple fractures to her cheekbone and upper jaw. The attack resulted in the complete loss of her upper central teeth and irreversible damage to her left eye, which had to be removed due to the destruction of eye muscles and tear ducts, leaving her blind in that eye.
Emergency Medical Response
Initially treated at a local facility, the woman was then transferred over eight hours to a specialist hospital where surgeons stabilised her injuries. She received intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and pain relief en route to control bleeding and infection risks.
Reconstructive Surgery Success
Under general anaesthesia, surgeons cleaned and repaired the contaminated wounds before plastic surgeons began detailed facial reconstruction. Six weeks after the surgery, CT scans showed the fractures had successfully healed, and at four months, she had regained normal chewing and speech function despite the extensive damage.
Ongoing Recovery
Follow-up appointments confirmed well-healed wounds with minimal swelling and stitches were removed two weeks post-op. The woman’s progress demonstrates an exceptional recovery given the severity of the attack, as documented in a recent medical journal report.
