Tipsheet

Grandfather Recovering After Scary Encounter With a Yellowstone Bison

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  July 14, 2026 9:30 AM

We've all seen videos and images of tourists in national parks and wildlife reservations doing stupid things, like trying to get selfies near wild animals or petting the bison. This is not a Disney movie, and wildlife are not your friends. They are territorial; if it's mating season, they're aggressive, and they will not look kindly on humans intruding on their spaces.

This past week in Yellowstone, a man named Carl Isom-McDaniel — who appeared to be giving wildlife a wide berth — found himself on the business end of a bison. The animal threw the man eight feet into the air, resulting in serious injuries, including a broken femur.

Someone else recorded a video of the fateful interaction that went viral on social media.

That's scary.

It's rutting season, which is why the bison was particularly aggressive.

At the beginning of the video, you can see Isom-McDaniel walking far in the distance, nowhere near the bison.

Now the man is out of surgery and has a message ... for the bison that yeeted him into the air.

Here's more:

The grandfather who went wildly viral after he was filmed being tossed in the air by a bison at Yellowstone National Park reassured everyone he is “OK” — despite undergoing surgery for a broken thigh bone.

Carl Isom-McDaniel, 65, was thrown around eight feet in the air by the huge wild animal Friday night while visiting the park with his 13-year-old grandson.

He broke his femur — the strongest bone in the body — in four places near his hip, but was already able to stand Monday after having surgery the day before, he told CNN.

“Thank you everyone I am OK,” McDaniel posted to his Facebook account late Sunday with a thumbs-up emoji.

The retiree and community leader from Kendall, Wash. also praised the animal for not killing him during the attack.

“When I was on the ground immobile, unable to move, he was right on top of me,” McDaniel told CNN.

“He 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.”

We're glad Isom-McDaniel is recovering.

Yeah, he kind of is.

This is a reminder that if you go to national parks or anywhere involving wild animals, keep your distance. These animals are fast and strong, and you may not be as lucky as Isom-McDaniel was.