When your child is in danger, your first instinct is to make everything alright. Regardless of what or who is a threat to your offspring, you’re willing to take down whatever it is to keep them safe and sound, even if it means risking your life in the process.
Ian O’Reilly would agree with the latter statements. When he was hiking in Kensington, New Hampshire, with his wife Allison and their three children, a vicious coyote approached them. The next thing you know, the native North American canine quickly snatched the couple’s two-year-old by his coat. Ian quickly seized their child back while striking back at the furious beast, leaving him no choice but to kill him in the process.
“It just kept attacking and lunging,” the father recounted. “So then I had to straddle it, put my legs around it, and then I put it into a scissor lock by crossing my feet and squeezing as hard as I could.”
The most frightening thing about the entire situation? The family of five had no clue the coyote was anywhere in sight until it already had their toddler in its grip.
“We didn’t hear anything,” Allison shared. “That was the kind of scary part, that we figured out later, it had been following us for a while.”
The fast, adrenaline-pumping situation left all the O’Reillys unharmed, except for Ian who has battle wounds on his upper body to prove it. The father of three was treated with a rabies shot just in case and is expected to make a full recovery shortly.
It turns out, the O’Reilly family wasn’t the only one to have experienced a coyote while hiking on the Kensington trail. There were two other coyote-related incidences in the area that same day. Yikes!
Because situations like these can happen so quickly, and the aftereffects may be unfortunate, it’s important to know what to do if and when you come across one of these animals. According to the Island Packet, if you come in contact with a coyote, “back away slowly while yelling and waving your arms.” The source also suggests throwing rocks or sticks at the animal to scare it away. One thing you shouldn’t do (which many of us may think is a good idea) is run away. Although keeping the latter in mind won’t guarantee safety, it’s said to help in these serious situations.
Learn more about the frightening story below. Apart from Dad having to experience nasty injuries to the chest, I’m glad that everyone ended up safe!
