"It picked a target, that target happened to be me," the man said.Show Caption
The man who was charged and hurled into the air by a bison at Yellowstone National Park is speaking out about the harrowing, now-viral incident.In a video shared by Bozeman Health, the man – who is identified by his first name, Carl – said from his hospital bed that the attack happened while he and his grandson were going on a walk after eating dinner on July 10."We saw the bison, and he was down. He wasn't showing aggression or anything like that," Carl recounted. "Until it picked a target, that target happened to be me."Park officials previously confirmed that a 65-year-old man was injured by a bison at Bridge Bay Campground near Lake Yellowstone and taken to a nearby hospital by emergency medical responders.Fellow park visitor Mike MacLeod captured the incident on video, which has since gone viral on social media. It showed Carl and his grandson standing a distance away from the bison, who was initially lying on the ground. The animal then stood up and began running toward the pair, chasing Carl around a tree before ultimately throwing him in the air.Bison attack victim speaks out. 'He could have gored me'Carl said his injuries came from landing on the ground, not the actual launch in the air."Even though I was on the ground, he could have stomped me, he could have gored me, he could have done anything," Carl said in the video.The grandfather added that the bison moved "faster than you could ever imagine.""He just kept coming and he was more aggressive. And as soon as he got off that tree, he launched me in the air," Carl said.Carl's femur was broken in several places after the attack, his physician, Dr. Eric Lowe, said in the video. His family previously told NBC News he underwent surgery for the break."It was definitely clear that he had a pretty painful injury," Lowe said.The 65-year-old's grandson was apparently uninjured in the attack. Carl said he told the boy to flee the area after the bison initially became aggressive.It's bison mating season, also known as the rut. During the period from June to September, bull bison can become more aggressive and unpredictable, according to the National Park Service.Yellowstone is home to the nation's largest public bison herd, and the park requires a minimum 25-yard distance for viewing wildlife, including bison.Contributing: Eve ChenMelina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.
