Yellowstone visitor tossed into the air by charging bison revealed to be community leader from Washington State as injuries are laid bare

By WILKO MARTÍNEZ-CACHERO, US REPORTER Published: 05:44, 13 July 2026 | Updated: 05:44, 13 July 2026 A man who was sent flying eight feet into the air and injured by an angry bison at Yellowstone National Park has been revealed as a community leader from Washington state. Carl McDaniel, of Bothell, was the grandfather attacked by the agitated beast at Bridge Bay Compound near Yellowstone Lake around 8.30pm on Friday, according to The New York Times. The terrifying moment was captured in viral video, which showed the bull bison becoming frustrated within seconds and then charging at McDaniel, who is in his mid–60s. Once the bison caught up to McDaniel, it hooked the grandpa with one of its horns and aggressively flung him into the air. McDaniel suffered several broken bones after the bison's sudden attack, according to the outlet. The grandfather is a known community leader in Washington state, having served as a commissioner for Columbia Valley water and parks districts and other boards, per a profile published in December by Cascadia Daily News. McDaniel, who was described as a sort of Good Samaritan that even dresses up as Santa Claus when needed, has lived in Kendall – about 110 miles north of Seattle – for about 25 years. He has been passionate about bringing people together and building new parks in his community, according to the outlet. Carl McDaniel, a Washington state grandfather and community leader, was identified as the man attacked by a bull bison at Yellowstone National Park on Friday McDaniel was attacked at Bridge Bay Compound near Yellowstone Lake at roughly 8.30pm, with the stunning moment captured on video that has since gone viral The footage captured the moment the frustrated beast hooked McDaniel and effectively ragdolled him several feet into the air McDaniel has also been a Whatcom County Surface Mining Advisory Committee member and a board member for the Foothills Community Alliance. Mike MacLeod, a Montana photographer who was in the area, explained how the bison had been roaming the campground and charging at other campers. The gigantic animal had initially targeted a group of teenage boys, who ran away from the area, before turning to a picnic table with dinner leftovers. 'When he got up, it was kicking like a rodeo horse who's clearly very agitated,' MacLeod told The New York Times. It was then that McDaniel drove up in a pickup truck with his grandson and began taking photos of the bison, apparently catching the beast's attention. 'As soon as they stop taking pictures, the bison stands up and the grandfather's like, "Let's get out of here. I don't like this,"' MacLeod added. Shortly afterwards, the bison began chasing McDaniel and his grandson around and through the trees. McDaniel's grandson was able to flee and lose the beast, but the Washington state grandfather was not as lucky. Even after effectively flipping McDaniel into the air, the bison still 'didn't leave,' according to MacLeod. 'He stood right over Carl, and he was really, really angry,' MacLeod said. 'His head's pumping up and down and he displayed all that aggressive behavior.' McDaniel, pictured with his great-grandson, was at Bridge Bay Campground near Yellowstone Lake when he was attacked by the bull bison He suffered multiple broken bones as a result of the attack, though he was described as being in good spirits McDaniel has served as a commissioner for Columbia Valley water and parks districts in Washington state At that point, MacLeod said that he ran at the animal 'pumping my arms up and down, yelling at the top of my lungs and jumping up trying to look big and distracting.' The attempt to distract the bull bison apparently paid off, as other onlookers soon joined in and the creature subsequently ran off. A park ambulance arrived about 10 minutes later, with campers tending to McDaniel until then. But despite the shocking footage and the violent attack, McDaniel's mood was described as positive. 'He was in a lot of pain with his leg, and otherwise he was conscious the whole time, in good spirits, joking,' MacLeod told the outlet. Park regulations require visitors to stay about 75 feet from the bison at all times, leading some online commenters to speculate about whether McDaniel had been closer than that. However, MacLeod said that 'most people [saw] that these two did not ask for it' and that everyone he observed that day kept a 'respectful distance.' The National Park Service and Yellowstone National Park have not released any information concerning the attack on McDaniel The angry beast was seen near a table with food scraps prior to charging McDaniel and one of his grandsons, who escaped without injury McDaniel is known as a sort of Good Samaritan in his community, even dressing up as Santa Claus when needed MacLeod claimed that McDaniel's grandson told him that the latter suffered 'some pretty significant injuries' and was still not 'out of the woods yet,' according to Cowboy State Daily. He also said McDaniel feared the attack had been caused by something he had done, but MacLeod insisted the bison was the one that started it. As of Sunday night, the National Park Service and Yellowstone had not released any information about the bison attack. The terrifying encounter came during the annual bison rut, which runs from June to September. During that time, bulls become fueled by heightened energy and aggression as they battle for dominance and females. The Daily Mail has reached out to McDaniel, the National Park Service and Yellowstone National Park for comment.