Grandfather Shares Story After Bison Launches Him Eight Feet Into Yellowstone Air
Explorehotelworld.com – Carl Isom-McDaniel, a grandfather hailing from Kendall, Washington, is now sharing his remarkable survival story following a dramatic encounter with a wild bison at Yellowstone National Park. The incident, which occurred on July 10, resulted in a severely broken leg for the man in his mid-60s, but he emerged from the experience with remarkable composure and gratitude.
A Calm Animal Turns Aggressive
Isom-McDaniel was visiting the Bridge Bay Campground, situated near the beautiful Yellowstone Lake, when the unexpected attack unfolded. He was accompanied by his grandson during the evening visit when they noticed a large bison resting nearby. The animal initially appeared peaceful and non-threatening.
“We saw the bison and he was down. He wasn’t showing aggression or anything like that until it picked a target. That target happened to be me,” Isom-McDaniel explained in a video recorded from his hospital room at Bozeman Health, a medical facility located in Southwest Montana.
The grandfather noted that the bison’s sudden transformation from calm to aggressive was startling. He emphasized how quickly these massive creatures can change their demeanor.
“They move faster than you could ever imagine,” he added, speaking about bison behavior in general terms. “He just kept coming, and he was more aggressive. As soon as he got off that tree, he launched me in the air.”
The Aftermath and Recovery
Despite being thrown eight feet into the air by the powerful animal, Isom-McDaniel sustained most of his injuries from the impact of landing rather than the initial launch. The severity of his condition became apparent when medical professionals examined him.
“I didn’t get bruises from him launching me in [the] air. It was the landing that [caused] the problem,” Isom-McDaniel said, reflecting on the mechanics of his injuries.
Medical staff at Bozeman Health discovered that the grandfather had fractured his femur in four separate locations. He required surgical intervention to properly set the broken bones and facilitate healing.
“It was definitely clear that he had a pretty painful injury. It’s actually broken in multiple pieces,” a treating physician stated during the hospital video interview.
A Heroic Grandfather
From the very beginning of the encounter, Isom-McDaniel’s primary concern was protecting his grandson. He made a conscious decision to stay behind and face the danger while his younger family member moved to safety.
“It was like, you need to get up to the amphitheater. I will deal with this down here,” the grandfather recalled telling his grandson during the chaotic moments.
Photographer Mike McLeod, who captured the terrifying encounter on camera, believes Isom-McDaniel’s actions may have saved his grandson’s life. McLeod witnessed the entire sequence of events and immediately sprang into action.
“Once I saw the victim in the air, I stopped filming and ran with some other men to haze the bison away and to render aid,” McLeod told Fox News Digital during an earlier interview.
The photographer emphasized how the grandfather’s selfless behavior stood out even amid the chaos.
“It really felt to me like the grandfather kind of saved his grandson. [He’d] taken the brunt of the attack,” McLeod said. “I got to him right away, and the first thing he asked is, ‘How is my grandson?'”
Understanding the Bison’s Behavior
Reports indicate that neither Isom-McDaniel nor his grandson did anything to provoke the animal. The bull had already charged a group of teenagers before settling down to wallow in the dirt near the campground area.
“Less than even a minute after I started filming, the bison charged a bunch of teenagers that were at a safe distance,” the photographer explained.
The teenagers, being young and agile, quickly scattered from the charging animal. However, their shouts alerted other campers to the potential danger.
“They were all young and nimble, so they just scattered,” McLeod noted. “But they started yelling, ‘Hey, everyone watch out. There’s a bison.’ … There were a lot of campers in the camp.”
McLeod later feared the bison might gore the already-injured grandfather, which prompted him to abandon his camera and rush toward the animal, waving his arms and yelling to distract it. Other campground visitors joined in the effort until the bison finally retreated.
Remarkable Composure
Perhaps most impressively, Isom-McDaniel never lost consciousness during the entire attack, despite suffering multiple broken bones. Fox News “America’s Newsroom” reported on his remarkable condition.
“For some reason [the bison] had it in his head he was going to attack those two [people],” the photographer recalled, trying to understand the animal’s motivation.
Isom-McDaniel has been recovering comfortably at the Montana hospital, expressing satisfaction with the care he has received. He noted that he never felt truly terrified during his ordeal.
“I always felt safe and secure. I wasn’t ever terrified,” he said, reflecting on his experience.
Kelly McGreal of Fox News Digital contributed additional reporting to this story.
