A grandfather who survived a terrifying attack from a bison which hurled him eight feet in the air has said that being hit by the huge animal wasn’t the worst part.
Carl Isom-McDaniel, 65, sustained a broken hip during the incident at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, on July 10, after being charged by the creature as he took an after-dinner walk with his grandson.
‘It was the landing that became the problem’
Isom-McDaniel, who is now recovering in hospital in Montana, has spoken out about his ordeal. ‘I didn’t get bruises from him launching me into the air,’ he explained in an interview from his hospital bed. ‘It was the landing that became the problem.’
He admitted, however, that the attack could have been a lot worse. ‘Even though I was on the ground he could have stomped me, he could have gored me…could have done anything.’
Isom-McDaniel added that the bison did not initially appear aggressive ‘until it picked a target…that target happened to be me’. It was while trying to protect his grandson – who was not injured in the attack – that he was thrown in the air, and he said: ‘He just kept coming.’
Footage and response
Footage of the incident, at Bridge Bay Campground by Yellowstone Lake, was captured by professional photographer Mike McLeod, who happened to be camping in the area. After witnessing the attack McLeod, who was a photographer with the Army, jumped into action, afraid the animal ‘was going to gore the guy on the ground’, and helped scare the bison away while others supported Isom-McDaniel and called 911.
He was ‘in a lot of pain, particularly in his hips and the leg he landed on,’ McLeod said. He added that McDaniel and his grandson were not to blame for the attack as they kept their distance from the bison. He later told CBS Mornings: ‘They did everything right. The bottom line is people come to the national park because it’s wild and risky. That’s part of the downside. There is a risk.’
Just moments before the incident, the bison had been charging at other people, including a group of children taking pictures from a distance away. ‘You can tell he was agitated and charging at anything and everything,’ McLeod said.
Injuries and park context
A doctor at Bozeman Health Deaconess Medical Center in southern Montana confirmed that Isom-McDaniel’s hip had been broken in several places in the incident.
McDaniel’s attack comes just weeks after a 12-year-old was injured by a bison close to the park’s Mud Volcano. The child was transported to hospital and the extent of their injuries was not disclosed.
According to the Yellowstone Park website, male bison can weigh as much as 2,000lbs while females can weigh up to 1,000lbs, and they can run at a speed of 35mph. While being gored by a bison results in the most serious injuries, most victims of attacks survive. They also remain comparatively rare, with the park recording only two gorings in 2025 and two in 2024.
Park officials have said bison can be more aggressive at this time of year due to it being mating season. They advise visitors to keep a distance of at least 25 yards from the animals at all times, and not to get up close in a bid to take a photo.
