SEATTLE - The wife of a Bellevue city councilman who was mauled by a black bear near Lake Wenatchee Friday night is now talking about the attack.
John Chelminiak, 58, is recovering from puncture wounds and injuries to his head and upper body at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Chelminiak was spending the weekend with his wife at their vacation home. He was walking their dogs when he was attacked by the bear.
Chelminiak was able to yell a warning to his wife.
"I was in the house, again we were just finishing unpacking," said Cheminiak's wife, Lynn Semler. "I heard somebody calling out, and it didn't sound like John."
"I went out through the garage with my flashlight and as I opened the garage door what I thought was a large, um, dog lept in front of me," recalled Semler.
That large dog was actually the bear.
While Semler comforted her husband, she called 911.
"I explained to them that my husband had been attacked by a bear."
She warned her daughter to stay inside and lock the door. The bear was still just a few hundred yards away.
"It was pacing back and forth on the road. And I just kept my flashlight on that bear," she said.
She stayed with her husband until paramedics arrived.
Agents later shot and killed the bear, which was described as old, very thin and in poor condition. They don't know why the bear attacked Chelminiak, the bear did not have any cubs.
Chelminiak was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. His father, his sister, and his wife haven't left his side.
On Sunday Chelminiak was in serious but stable condition and is doing well. He had a special message for his wife.
"(He said) I love you. He wished me a happy anniversary this afternoon. So he remembered today was our 13th anniversary," said Semler. "He's made great progress. He just looks good to me. I love him!"
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