Yellowstone Tourist Injured in Bison Encounter

A tourist at Yellowstone National Park found himself in a startling situation when a bull bison tossed him into the air. The man, Carl Isom McDaniel, is a grandfather known for his community spirit and sense of humor, and he didn’t hold back on making jokes about the incident.

McDaniel sustained multiple broken bones during this scary encounter at the Bridge Bay Campground near Yellowstone Lake while he was there with his grandson. This all happened on a Friday night, which is certainly not the kind of experience anyone looks forward to.

Witnessing the event was photographer Mike MacLeod, who later mentioned that McDaniel, despite his injuries, managed to keep his spirits up while waiting for medical assistance. “He had a lot of pain in his leg, but otherwise he was conscious and in good spirits, joking around,” MacLeod told a reporter.

Interestingly, neither McDaniel nor his grandson provoked the bison; they were simply unwittingly in the wrong spot at the wrong time. In fact, before the encounter with McDaniel, this particular bison—likely acting out due to hormonal changes—had already frightened a group of teenage boys. They quickly cleared the area when the bison lunged at them.

Afterward, the bison took a breather near a picnic table close to the road where food remnants lingered. MacLeod described the bison as “kicking like a rodeo horse” when it stood up, obviously energized and perhaps a little agitated.

McDaniel and his grandson stopped to snap some pictures of the bison, not realizing just how irritated the animal was. Once the bison noticed them, it seemed to take an interest, prompting McDaniel to suggest they leave the area. But just as the duo thought they were safe, the bison, after being briefly distracted by a passing truck, turned its focus back on them.

The grandson managed to evade the charging bison, but McDaniel wasn’t so fortunate. The bison struck him with its left horn, launching him about eight feet in the air. MacLeod, who watched from a distance, could see the bison’s aggressive body language and decided to step in. “I put down the camera and ran towards the bison, moving my arms up and down, screaming at the top of my lungs,” he recounted, trying to distract the animal.

Other visitors quickly joined in to help, and it seems their efforts were effective, as the bison eventually left the area. Meanwhile, McDaniel received assistance from fellow tourists while waiting for a park ambulance, which arrived about ten minutes later.

It’s important to note that park regulations specify a minimum distance of 75 feet from bison, particularly during mating season—a peak time for visitors to Yellowstone. According to MacLeod, everyone, including McDaniel and his grandson, maintained a respectful distance from the animals and did not provoke them in any way.