>>>
>>> THIS
>>> THIS STORY HAS GOTTEN SO MUCH ATTENTION.
MUCH ATTENTION. AN INCREDIBLE STORY OF
SURVIVAL.
SURVIVAL.
SURVIVAL. THIS IS 8-YEAR-OLD PIKE
CARLSON.
CARLSON.
CARLSON. HE LIVED TO TELL ABOUT IT WHEN
A MOUNTAIN LION BIT HIS HAND.
HIS DAD CAME OUT TO FINALLY
SCARE THE MOUNTAIN LION OFF.
>>> AND WE ARE JOINED THIS
MORNING BY THE CARLSON FAMILY.
JULIE, RON, GAUGE, AND PIKE
CARLSON ARE HERE.
THANK YOU GUYS FOR GETTING UP
EARLY.
EARLY.
EARLY. I
EARLY. I KNOW IT'S NOT EASY.
I DO IT ALL THE TIME.
APPRECIATE THAT.
APPRECIATE THAT. >> HOW ARE YOU DOING?
HOW ARE YOU FEELING?
>> GOOD.
>> GOOD.
>> GOOD. >> YOU FEELING GOOD?
AND TELL ME ABOUT YOUR
RECOVERY.
RECOVERY.
RECOVERY. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?
AND ARE YOU GETTING BACK WHAT
YOU USUALLY DO?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> DOING OKAY?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> MOM, YOU WERE TELLING ME,
HE'S DOING WELL.
BUT HAS MORE SURGERY DOWN THE
ROAD?
ROAD?
ROAD? >>
ROAD? >> HAS MORE SURGERIES.
WE HAVE A FOLLOW-UP WITH A
DOCTOR JUST TO SEE HOW THAT
EYELID, IF THERE IS ANY
IMPROVEMENT, IF IT'S STARTING
TO OPEN.
TO OPEN.
TO OPEN. IF NOT, IT PROBABLY MEANS THE
TENDON IN THE EYELID IS
SEVERED AND WE'LL HAVE TO GO IN
FOR ANOTHER SURGERY.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. BUT THEY THINK THEY CAN FIX
IT.
IT.
IT. ABSOLUTELY.
ABSOLUTELY. >> WELL, THAT IS GOOD NEWS.
I KNOW YOU'VE TOLD THE STORY A
HUNDRED TIMES BUT SOMEBODY OUT
THERE MAY NOT HAVE HEARD THE
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. SO
STORY. SO TELL US WHAT IT WAS LIKE.
WHAT HAPPENED?
WHAT HAPPENED? >> I WAS JUST WALKING UP TO GO
TO THE HOUSE.
AND THEN THE MOUNTAIN LION JUST
JUMPS ON THE ROCK RIGHT NEXT TO
ME, AND I JUST YELLED FOR HELP
AND THEN IT POUNCES ON ME.
>> DID YOU FIGHT A LOT?
DID YOU FIGHT THE MOUNTAIN
LION?
LION?
LION? >>
LION? >> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> AND YOUR BROTHER.
YOU WENT BACK IN THE HOUSE,
RIGHT?
RIGHT?
RIGHT? TO
RIGHT? TO GET SOME HELP?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> AND THEN DAD CAME OUT.
AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU,
DAD?
DAD?
DAD? >>
DAD? >> IT'S SOMETHING NO PARENT
SHOULD EVER SEE.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> JUST RAN DOWN THERE AND --
RUNNING INTO THE PINE TREES AND
YOUR EYES ARE ADJUSTING TO IT.
AS MY EYES ADJUSTED, THE FIRST
THING I SEEN WAS CHEWING, KIND
OF LOSE CONTROL, THIS IS YOUR
CHILD.
CHILD.
CHILD. >>
CHILD. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. SO HOW DID YOU GET THE MOUNTAIN
LION TO DROP HIM AND RUN AWAY
SOME.
SOME.
SOME. >>
SOME. >> WHEN I SEEN IT, HE SNAPPED
INSIDE HIS HEAD.
AND THAT INSTINCT KICKS IN.
ALL THOUGHT OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN
TO YOU GOES AWAY.
I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT IT UNTIL
AFTERWARD WHAT I DID.
ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT WAS
GETTING HIM AS FAST AS I COULD
TO TRY TO HELP HIM.
SO I STARTED YELLING SOME
PROFANITIES --
PROFANITIES -- >> I'M SURE.
I UNDERSTAND.
I UNDERSTAND. >> AND I RAN TOWARDS IT.
AND I HELD MY POCKETKNIFE
RUNNING TOWARDS IT.
AND JUST AS A GOT IT IT,
REALIZED THAT I WASN'T SLOWING
DOWN AND THERE WAS GOING TO BE
A FIGHT.
A FIGHT.
A FIGHT. WASN'T GOING TO BE AS EASY AS
IT WAS FOR HIM TO ATTACK HIM.
AND JUST, I COULD REACH AND HIT
HIM WITH A YARD STICK.
AND IT JUST SPUN AND TOOK OFF.
ANOTHER STEP AND I WOULD HAVE
HAD IT.
HAD IT.
HAD IT. >> YOU DID THE RIGHT THING
APPARENTLY.
APPARENTLY. >> YEAH, YELLING AT IF AND
RUNNING AT IT, I GUESS SCARED
IT.
IT.
IT. DECIDED TO TAKE OFF.
>> WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO
THIS?
THIS?
THIS? OBVIOUSLY YOU GUYS LIVE IN THE
MOUNTAINS.
MOUNTAINS. I'M SURE WILDLIFE IS A PART OF
IT OUT THERE.
HAD YOU EVER EVEN THOUGHT THAT
SOMETHING LIKE THIS COULD
HAPPEN?
HAPPEN?
HAPPEN? >> IT'S ALWAYS IN THE BACK OF
YOUR HEAD THAT THAT CAN
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. WE'VE SEEN BEARS ON OUR
PROPERTY.
PROPERTY.
PROPERTY. BUT MOST OF THE TIME, IT'S
SMALLER WILDLIFE, LIKE DEER AND
TURKEYS AND FOXES AND COYOTES
AND STUFF.
AND STUFF. AND SOME ELK AND SOMETHING ONCE
IN A WHILE.
BUT NEVER SEEN MOUNTAIN LIONS.
AND THAT'S WHAT THE WILDLIFE
SENSE SAYS, THEY'RE THERE, BUT
YOU NEVER SEE THEM.
>> WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER, WE
ALWAYS HAD THEM WEAR
WHISTLINGS.
WHISTLINGS. BUT AS THEY GOT OLDER AND
BIGGER, KIND OF GOT AWAY FROM
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. BUT
THAT. BUT THIS WAS AN UNUSUAL
SITUATION, WHERE HE DECIDED TO
RUN DOWN TO THE FENCE AND TALK
TO A LITTLE GIRL ON THE NEXT
PROPERTY AND WENT BY HIMSELF
HIMSELF.
HIMSELF.
HIMSELF. AND I THINK THAT MADE HIM AN
EASY TARGET.
EASY TARGET. THAT MOUNTAIN LION WAS IN THE
RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME
AND HE WAS IN THE WRONG PLACE
AT THE WRONG TIME.
>> ARE YOU BACK IN SCHOOL?
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> WHAT ARE YOUR CLASSMATES
SAYING TO YOU ABOUT ALL OF
THIS?
THIS?
THIS? >>
THIS? >> THEY JUST GREETED ME AND
SAID, "ARE YOU OKAY?"
AND ASKED ABOUT MY EYE AND KIND
OF WHAT HAPPENED?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. YEAH.
YEAH.
YEAH. SO
YEAH. SO -- AND I KNOW, I REMEMBER
THE PICTURES OF THE FENCE WITH
ALL THE WELCOME HOME PIKE
SIGNS.
SIGNS.
SIGNS. PEOPLE HAVE REALLY BEEN GOOD
ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING, HAVEN'T
THEY?
THEY?
THEY? >>
THEY? >> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> DEFINITELY.
>> DEFINITELY. >> EVERYBODY IS WONDERFUL.
THE PLATTE CANYON SCHOOL
DISTRICT HAS BEEN WONDERFUL.
HIS TEACHERS, EVERYONE HAS JUST
OPENED UP TO US AND GIVEN US
HOFF AND SUPPORT.
>> THAT IS AWESOME.
>> WELL, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT.
YOU LOOK GOOD FOR WHAT YOU'VE
BEEN THROUGH, I LOVE YOUR
SMILE, I LOVE YOUR ATTITUDE.
AND THE WHOLE FAMILY HAS JUST
BEEN TERRIFIC.
BEEN TERRIFIC. >> I'D LIKE TO ALSO MENTION THE
FIRE DEPARTMENT UP THERE HAS
BEEN GREAT.
BEEN GREAT. THEY'VE STOPPED BY SEVERAL
TIMES.
TIMES.
TIMES. THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT HAS
BEEN GREAT.
BEEN GREAT. THE AMBULANCE DRIVERS, THE
STAFF AT SWEDISH MEDICAL
CENTER, THEY TREATED HIM LIKE
HAS OWN CHILD.
I MEAN, EVERYBODY WAS JUST
TERRIFIC.
TERRIFIC.
TERRIFIC. SO I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO
FORGET IT.
FORGET IT. FRIENDS AND FAMILY, COWORKERS
THAT HAVE HELPED US.
HELPED US ALONG THE WAY AND
STUFF LIKE THAT.
EVERYBODY HAS BEEN REALLY
GREAT.
GREAT.
GREAT. >>
GREAT. >> WELL, I'M SORRY IT
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. BUT SEEMS LINE THE BEST
OUTCOME POSSIBLE RIGHT NOW
ANYWAY.
ANYWAY.
ANYWAY. THANK YOU GUYS FOR COMING ON.
AND SHARING WITH US.
AND PIKE, BEST OF LUCK WITH
YOUR CONTINUED