Man Survives Coyote Attack With A Simple Flashlight

A Colorado man survived being attacked by not one, but three coyotes while he was walking to work. According to ABC’s Good Morning America, Andrew Dickehage was walking to work when the three coyotes attacked.

Dickehage told reporters that his car had been broken down at the time, so he elected to walk to work the morning that he had been attacked. The only thing he had on him to fight back with was a flashlight he was using to navigate the streets.

According to WRTV, Dickehage said he thought he heard a bunny rustling in a bush, but when he turned his flashlight on a nearby bush, he was attacked.

To say he was shocked by the surprise attack is an understatement. Good Morning America reported Dickehage stating the following, “You feel the initial impact and soon as you felt it you could then react, and go to shove.”

He continued on to tell reporters, “I took my flashlight and I hit it over the side of the head to get it to let go. As soon as I got it to let go, then another went to lunge at me and all I could think to do was swing to get it not to lunge at me.”

Dickehage continued on to tell WRTV that he felt pure agony as one of the coyotes clamped onto his hand, and was able to swing and fight off a second coyote that he claims was aiming right for his jugular.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill spoke to ABC News’ Good Morning America and expressed her concerns over the attack.

“This is what can happen when they get so comfortable that they consider a certain territory theirs. We need coyotes to have a healthy, natural fear of people so we can co-exist.”

Dickehage was one of the lucky few that was able to fight off the animals with the few injuries that he sustained. It was his quick thinking that kept him alive, but he still says that he plans on catching a ride to work from now on.

[Image via Shutterstock/Jeannette Katzir Photog]