Survivor of Yellowstone Bison Attack Shares His Story From Hospital

Carl McDaniel, 65, is recovering in the hospital after a bison tossed him eight feet into the air at Yellowstone National Park on July 10. Speaking publicly for the first time since the attack, McDaniel described the encounter and the injuries that followed.

McDaniel said he and his grandson were about 100 yards from the bison, which he described as calm and "not aggressive," when a passing truck's driver honked the horn — apparently trying to move the animal along. The honk seemed to provoke the bison instead.

As the animal charged, McDaniel told his grandson to run one way while he moved the other direction, drawing the bison's attention away from the boy. He was struck and thrown into the air, breaking his femur in four places near the hip.

Reflecting on the attack, McDaniel said the bison "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."