A Washington state grandfather who was tossed into the air by a bison in Yellowstone National Park says the animal showed unexpected restraint despite the frightening attack. Carl McDaniel, 65, was injured Friday evening at the park’s Bridge Bay area while he and his grandson were nearby, around 8:30 p.m. Video of the encounter shows the agitated bull bison charging through the trees after McDaniel before catching him with a horn and throwing him upward. McDaniel suffered a broken femur in four places near his hip, but told CNN he was able to stand by Monday after undergoing surgery the previous day. “I will be doing physical therapy for the next few days to get to walk, but it was not as catastrophic as it could have been,” he said. McDaniel, a community activist, acknowledged the 6-foot animal could have killed him. “When I was on the ground, immobile, unable to move, he was right on top of me,” he recalled.
Bison spares man in tense standoff
“He could have stomped on me, he could have gored me, he could have done almost anything to take my life and he did not do so,” McDaniel said. Officials have not said what may have triggered the bison’s charge, though the incident occurred during mating season, when male bison are known to be more aggressive because of elevated testosterone levels. Witnesses said the animal had already been moving through the campground and charging at other visitors, including a group of teenage boys who managed to escape, shortly before McDaniel and his grandson came through the area.
Grandfather distracts bison near campsite
Before the attack, the bison had stopped to rest in the dirt near a picnic table strewn with dinner leftovers beside a campground road. “When he got up, it was kicking like a rodeo horse who’s clearly very agitated,” Montana photographer Mike MacLeod, who recorded the incident, told The New York Times. McDaniel then arrived in a pickup truck with his grandson, and the pair began taking photos of the animal, apparently drawing its attention. “As soon as they stop taking pictures, the bison stands up and the grandfather’s like, ‘Let’s get out of here. I don’t like this,’” MacLeod said. McDaniel later said he made a split-second decision to divert the bison away from his grandson.
Grandfather distracts bison to save grandson
“There was little time to decide what to do,” McDaniel told CNN. “At that point, he was within 100 yards; he could be to us in seconds, so I told my grandson to run in one direction and I went the other to try and draw him away.” His grandson was able to get away, but McDaniel was caught by the animal. Even after the bison flipped him into the air, MacLeod said, it remained over him. “He stood right over Carl, and he was really, really angry,” the photographer said.
Brave distraction drives bison away
MacLeod described the bison as displaying clear signs of aggression, saying its head was moving up and down as it stood near McDaniel. He said he then rushed toward the animal, waving his arms, shouting and jumping in an effort to appear larger and draw its attention. Other bystanders soon joined in, and the bison eventually ran off. When MacLeod reached McDaniel, who is known for his community work in Kendall, Washington, he said the injured grandfather’s first concern was his grandson. “The first thing he asked is ‘How is my grandson?’” MacLeod told Fox News.
Grandfather shields grandson during attack
“It really felt like the grandfather kind of saved his grandson,” MacLeod said. “[He’d] taken the brunt of the attack.” While McDaniel waited for an ambulance, a nurse at the scene cared for his injured leg and another bystander supported his head. MacLeod told Cowboy State Daily that McDaniel remained alert and even joked despite being in significant pain. At one point, MacLeod said he teased him, saying, “As a former US Army paratrooper, I give that landing a 9.5 out of 10.” McDaniel reportedly replied, “Well if you just caught me five years ago, I could have done so much better.”
Grandfather blamed himself after bison attack
MacLeod said McDaniel tried to stay upbeat, though his pain was obvious. The photographer added that the grandfather appeared especially concerned about whether he had done anything to cause the attack. “It’s not his fault,” MacLeod said. “You can tell from the beginning. That was a really, really angry bison.” Yellowstone rules require visitors to remain at least 75 feet from bison, prompting some online debate over whether McDaniel had been too close. MacLeod, however, said the people he observed kept a “respectful distance,” adding that “most people” who saw what happened understood that McDaniel and his grandson “did not ask for it.”
