LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The family of a Franklin County man says Sept. 8 that his condition has worsened and that he has been moved to hospice care.

Vernon Patton, 72, is being held at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences after being attacked by a bear in the Mulberry Mountain area of Franklin County on Sept. 3.

Patton 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.

“As far as we can tell, there has never been a documented attack in Arkansas, at least in rec

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