Washington man tossed by bison at Yellowstone, video captures attack

However, after a white truck drove by, the bison got to its feet and charged toward McDaniel and his grandson. 

“The bison just is like, he had a single purpose in mind, and he was going after those two,” MacLeod said. 

McDaniel and his grandson split up as they ran. The grandson moved out of view while McDaniel ran through the trees, attempting to hide from the bison and throw it off his tail. The bison paused to shake a tree with his horns before pursuing McDaniel again. 

“We've seen a lot of near misses, some false charges and that sort of thing, but nothing —anything—like this,” MacLeod said. 

The bison eventually caught up to McDaniel and tossed him high into the air. It continued to stand over him, shaking its head and wagging its tail. That is when other campers intervened. 

“I was really afraid that he was going to gore the victim or stomp on him and so I dropped my camera and ran after the bison and started yelling and screaming and jumping up and down," MacLeod said. "And then some other men in the campground joined me and we were successfully able to haze the bison away." 

After the attack, campers stayed behind to make sure the bison had left. They checked McDaniel’s injuries, made sure his grandson was safe and stayed with him while first responders were on the way. 

MacLeod said he stayed in contact with McDaniel, who wanted to watch the video to make sure he responded the right way during the attack. 

“He was a, you know, he was an upstanding citizen. He wanted to do the right thing and set the right example," MacLeod said. "He did have a reaction. And what he did say is, 'I hope you published the heck out of it so that people know.'" 

The story has also become a reminder for other Yellowstone visitors. While some people have been flipped or gored after getting too close to bison, McDaniel was following park rules and recommendations. 

Yellowstone rules say people must stay at least 25 yards from bison and elk, or about two school bus lengths. If a bison charges, people should run and hide behind cars or trees, which McDaniel did. 

Grace and Evan Zeller were visiting the park from Texas with their family and said they saw the video circulating online over the weekend. 

"At first, I thought, like, 'Dude, you’re just in the wrong spot. You need to go out of the way.' But then after watching the video, I did feel like he tried to get out of the way before the bison had any interaction with them. And then he was targeted for some reason," Grace said. 

The family saw a lot of bison, elk and some bears during their trip visit, but they were extra cautious. 

“We have seen people, like, probably the past few days that are getting out and getting pretty close to them. And, I mean, our rule is we stay in the car. Yeah, we're in the car," they said. 

The couple said they were still looking forward to seeing more wildlife throughout the rest of their trip.  

For predators such as bears, wolves and mountain lions, park rules say people should stay at least 100 yards away, or about eight school bus lengths.