Coyote attacks Massachusetts woman while she was playing with toddler

Brea, CA - September 21: One of two coyotes howls as it pauses along The Tracks at Brea Trail in Brea early on Saturday morning, September 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

WEYMOUTH, Massachusetts (WCVB) — A woman in Weymouth was attacked by a coyote on Wednesday while she was outside with her 2-year-old son.

The woman, Weymouth resident Georgianna Orseno, was able to escape from the coyote by kicking it against a tree to get it off, but she now has bites and scratches on both of her legs.

“This is the worst of the bites, on my ankle here. It’s bleeding through,” Orseno said. “My pants are all ripped here from the other bite.”

The bloody wounds are a reminder from a midday attack right outside her home.

“It all of a sudden latched here on at the top,” Orseno said, pointing to where the coyote bit her leg.

A camera across the street showed the moments right before the animal pounced while Orseno was on the ground playing with her son.

“I think it was going for him,” Orseno said. “Luckily, I was in between. I think it got mad because I was shaking it, then latched on here. I had to kick the tree to let it go.”

Neighbors describe the coyote attacking as strange.

“He was weird,” neighbor Cynthia Karam said. “I’ve seen other coyotes crossing the street, [but] this one was kind of off.”

Just minutes after the attack, a neighbor noticed a coyote coming from the direction of the victim’s yard on Robert Post Road, moving slowly and not easily scared off.

“It’s so scary,” Karam said. “We have a little dog and we have three kids that are always outside when the weather is nice.”

Orseno is now taking antibiotics and starting a series of rabies shots. She said she’s just thankful it went for her instead of her son.

“It could have been a lot worse,” Orseno said. “It could have latched onto my son, dragged him to where it wanted to go. So I’m just glad I was in between them.”

Animal Control officers were in the area of Orseno’s home all day Wednesday trying to look for the coyote. It is unclear if they ever found it.