I saw a short article about this in today’s paper (although I chased down this link which doesn’t require registration).  It’s another case of someone lucky to be alive after being insufficiently armed for the occasion.

A woman was attacked by a mountain lion while hiking in central California, but was rescued when her friends stabbed the animal with a knife and threw rocks at it, officials said.

Shannon Parker lost her right eye, was injured in her other eye and suffered deep lacerations to her right thigh during the attack Saturday, officials with the California Department of Fish and Game said.

…

Authorities said Parker was hiking with three male friends about 20 miles north of Kernville when the 70-pound female lion attacked her as she walked alone back to her car, Martarano said.

Parker’s boyfriend, Mathias Maciejewski, 28, stabbed the lion with a knife and Jason Quirino, 30, and Ben Aaron Marsh, 15, threw rocks at the animal until it ran off, Martarano said.

They were very, very lucky that they were able to substitute balls for ballistics.  But you have to wonder if this woman would still have her eye if someone there was carrying an appropriate weapon.