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The 17-year-old Bradbury woman who pushed a bear off a wall of her home to protect her dogs was recognized recently by one of the Inland Empire’s largest and best-known manufacturing companies.
Hailey Morinico’s heroic act – which was captured by a residential security camera – received the first-ever MAGLITE® Toughness Award from Mag Instrument Inc., the Ontario company that makes heavy-duty flashlights used by law enforcement and first responders.
Surrounded by family, friends, and several television news cameras, Morinico accepted the award from Tony Maglica, the company’s founder and owner.
Since the incident several weeks ago, Morinico said she and her family have been “overwhelmed” by the media attention she’s received.
“It’s something I did without thinking,” Morinico said during a ceremony in an upstairs conference room at Mag Instrument’s headquarters on South Hellman Avenue. “If I had thought about it, even for a second, I probably wouldn’t have done it. I just wanted to keep my dogs from getting hurt.”
Testimonials via Zoom were delivered by several luminaries, including country singer Trace Adkins, who quipped that Morinico is “as tough as a Maglite flashlight.”
Jeremiah Voithofer, the host of Mountain Top Outdoors, a hunting program on The Sportsman Channel, praised Morinico’s bravery but told her she was lucky to survive such a close encounter with one of nature’s most dangerous animals, one that she never should have charged unarmed.
Morinco agreed.
“I would not advise anyone to do what I did,” she said.
