Bear mauls teen with rare disorder as he watched TV in Arizona cabin

Brigham Hawkins was attacked by a black bear in an Arizona cabin Thursday.

On Thursday, a black bear entered a cabin in Alpine, Arizona, and mauled 15-year-old Brigham Hawkins, who was watching TV after a long day of fishing. Brigham, who has a rare neurological disorder, was unaware of the bear until it swiped at his face.

Hearing Brigham's screams, his family, who were in a nearby cabin, rushed to his aid. His mother, Carol Hawkins, described the attack to AZ Family: “He hadn’t realized it because it came in from behind, and it reached over and swiped at his face twice. Got him on the nose and the cheek and then went ahead and got his forehead and the top of his head.”

The attack came after Hawkins, 15, was resting after a day of fishing.

Brigham’s older brother, Parker, initially thought the bear was a large dog but quickly realized the danger and ran to another cabin for safety. The bear then paced on the porch.

Brigham’s father sprinted to help his son, who suffered injuries from the attack, and called 911. Authorities arrived and tracked down the 3-year-old bear about 120 feet from the cabin, where it was killed.

State Game and Fish Department Law Enforcement Supervisor Shawn Wagner told AZ Family, “It was thanks to the quick reaction by his brother and his family that they were able to distract the bear from what very easily in a matter of seconds could have turned into a real tragedy there.”

His mother described how her other son and husband came to the rescue.

Carol Hawkins expressed sorrow over the bear's death but acknowledged it was necessary. “People that don’t understand wildlife or Arizona think that this is just normal bear behavior, and we should be understanding. I just wish people could understand this is not what you would expect, this is not normal. For whatever reason, there was something wrong with this bear, something was off.”

This incident marks the 16th bear attack on a person in Arizona since 1990, with two being fatal. Despite suffering gashes to his face and arm, Brigham is expected to make a full recovery. Carol Hawkins added, “We’re extremely blessed and feel that somebody was most definitely watching over him because he’s very small and has lots of medical issues and there was nothing he could have done to chase off this bear or fight off this bear. He just ... he was protected.”