FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — An Arkansas man is in “critical” condition following a bear attack in Franklin County. Officials identified the victim as 72-year-old Vernon Patton.

Patton was airlifted to a Fayetteville hospital after being attacked by a bear in the Mulberry Mountain area on Sept. 3.

He was working on a gravel road with his tractor near Mulberry Mountain Lodge Park when the black bear attacked, according to Keith Stephens with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). His son arrived to check on him and saw the bear actively attacking.

Two AGFC wardens responded to the scene and killed the animal, described by witnesses as a smaller bear. An AGFC large carnivore biologist is traveling to the site to collect the bear so a necropsy can be performed.

This is the first reported bear attack in Arkansas in at least 25 years, according to the AGFC.

“As far as we can tell, there has never been a documented attack in Arkansas, at least in recent memory,” Stephens said.

Stephens said that if someone encounters a black bear, they should slowly back away without running. If the bear does not leave, as a last resort, make loud noises and appear larger by widening their stance.

Stephens said it would take 72 hours before the results of the necropsy would be released.