A 65-year-old survivor of a brutal Yellowstone National Park bison attack is sharing his harrowing experience to warn other visitors after walking away with life-altering injuries. Carl Isom-McDaniel, who is currently recovering from surgery at Bozeman Health in Montana, described the chaotic moment when the 2,000-pound animal singled him out as a target during a mid-July visit.
Isom-McDaniel’s July 10 encounter quickly went viral after footage of the incident circulated online. The clip shows the retiree and his grandson pausing to snap a photo of the bison, which appeared resting near a tree. Moments later, the massive animal sprang to its feet, immediately began charging, and launched Isom-McDaniel into the air before he could escape.
In a roughly three-minute interview video released by the hospital, Isom-McDaniel reflected on the near-death experience from his hospital bed. “Even though I was on the ground, he could have stomped me, he could have gored me, he could have done anything,” he recalled. “He wasn’t showing aggression or anything like that until it picked a target. That target happened to be me.” Contrary to common assumptions, the retireo said the bison’s initial impact was not the source of his severe injury – instead, the hard landing after being thrown into the air caused the extensive damage to his hip.
Dr. Eric Lowe, a treating physician at Bozeman Health, confirmed the severity of Isom-McDaniel’s injury, pointing to X-ray scans that show the hip broken into multiple fragments. “It was definitely clear that he had a pretty painful injury,” Lowe noted, highlighting the clear fracture lines and loose bone fragments visible in the imaging.
Wildlife experts explain that even though the pair appeared to maintain a safe distance in footage of the attack, the timing of the incident put them at heightened risk. The attack took place during bison mating season, a period when male bison experience elevated testosterone levels and far higher levels of aggression than usual.
The National Park Service has long warned visitors about the underestimated danger bison pose in the park. Its official website notes that while bison often appear slow and docile to tourists, they have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other native animal species. The agency mandates that all visitors stay at least 25 yards (23 meters) away from bison at all times, and explicitly prohibits approaching the animals to capture photos, a rule that many tourists overlook for the sake of a viral snapshot.