Yellowstone bison attack survivor speaks out: ‘He could have killed me’
Jul 14, 2026, 4:11 PM | Updated: Jul 15, 2026, 11:05 am
You’ve seen the video. A bull bison charges a man at Yellowstone and launches him eight feet into the air. Now the man in that viral clip is speaking out.
Carl McDaniel, 65, was walking with his 13-year-old grandson near Bridge Bay Campground on July 10 when they spotted the bison about 100 yards away. “He was not aggressive,” McDaniel said.
They snapped photos and walked on. Wrong time, wrong place. A passing driver honked to move the bison — and it began running straight toward them.
“There was not a lot of time. I told my grandson to go one way and I went the other, hoping to have him follow me.”
The bison followed the grandfather. Bison can run three times faster than humans and weigh up to 2,000 pounds.
“He was right on top of me. He could have stomped on me, gored me — but he didn’t.”
McDaniel is recovering from a femur broken in four places. He’s grateful for everyone who rushed to help — and thankful it wasn’t worse.
Watch the Bison attack below.
Read more about the incident and Carl’s thoughts here.
