Bison Tosses Grandfather 8 Feet into Air at Yellowstone National Park

The man was identified as Carl McDaniel, 65, of Whatcom County, Washington.

Published: 7/13/2026, 10:23:33 PM EDT

Bison Tosses Grandfather 8 Feet into Air at Yellowstone National Park — A bison grazes in the Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., on July 9, 2020. (Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images)

A Washington man is recovering after being thrown into the air by a charging bison at a campground in Yellowstone National Park.

The incident unfolded on July 10 at the Bridge Bay Campground near Yellowstone Lake in northwestern Wyoming, according to Montana-based photographer Mike MacLeod, who captured the entire attack on video.

In the footage, the visitor, identified by multiple media outlets as Carl McDaniel, 65, of Whatcom County, can be seen walking through the campground with a young boy, whom MacLeod said was the man's grandson.

The pair appear to take photos of the bull bison as it rolls on the ground. A white truck then drives by, and the animal abruptly gets up and charges toward McDaniel and his grandson, who attempt to hide in a thicket of trees.

"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."

In the video, the bison can then be seen chasing McDaniel around the trees before catching up to him and ramming him with its head.

"The grandfather was flipped at least eight feet in the air," MacLeod recounted in a Facebook post. "He did not get gored, so the EMS folks think he will be okay."

McDaniel was hospitalized for injuries he sustained in the attack, including a broken femur, CNN reported. His current condition was not immediately known. NTD reached out to the National Park Service for more information, but a response was not received by publication time.

MacLeod said the bison appeared agitated and had been running through the campground moments before the attack, even charging at a group of boys just minutes earlier.

According to the National Park Service, bison are responsible for more visitor injuries in Yellowstone than any other animal.

Most recently, in June, a 12-year-old girl was hospitalized after being injured by a bison near Mud Volcano, a hydrothermal mudpot situated roughly nine miles south of the Bridge Bay Campground. Park officials did not provide any details about the extent of the child's injuries or what led up to the bison attack.

However, the agency said visitors should stay at least 25 yards away from bison and other large animals, such as elk, deer, and moose, while keeping at least 100 yards away from bears, wolves, and cougars.