News / People
Wife Saves Husband from Mountain Lion Attack
Nell Hamm has been credited with saving her husband’s life after he was attacked by a mountain lion while they were hiking in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in California.
Jim Hamm had been knocked to the ground and received puncture wounds as well as a torn scalp before his wife of nearly 50-years clubbed the cat with a 4-inch-wide log.
With the mountain lion refusing to let go Nell reached in to her husbands pocket and grabbed a pen and she attempted to jab the attacking animal in the eye. Describing the incident she said, “I got the pen and tried to put it in his eye, but it didn't want to go in as easy as I thought it would.”
Abandoning the pen as a method of attack, Nell then retrieved the log and resumed the clubbing until the mountain lion let go of Jim and walked off.
They then managed to walk about a quarter mile before finding help.
Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the Department of Fish and Game, said “She saved his life, there is no doubt about it.”
