Hero grandpa ferociously attacked by bison in viral video reveals the split-second decision that 'saved grandson's life'

A Washington state grandfather was recently launched roughly eight feet in the air by a charging bison at Yellowstone National Park. The man survived the terrifying ordeal and is now telling his harrowing story from a hospital bed after suffering a brutal injury.

Carl Isom-McDaniel, 65, was walking with his 13-year-old grandson just after dinner on July 10 at Bridge Bay Campground near Yellowstone Lake in Wyoming. The pair stopped to take photos of a bull bison resting near a campsite.

'He just kept coming, and he was more aggressive.'

Mike MacLeod is a professional photographer who witnessed the attack and captured it on video.

MacLeod told NewsNation’s Jesse Weber that the bison charged at a couple and some boys before the animal appeared to settle down, but that calm was short-lived.

"Carl and his grandson started walking along the road, and the bison saw them," MacLeod recalled. "And for whatever reason, he got up and charged."

MacLeod said the grandfather saved the boy's life by distracting the bison.

"Carl told his grandson to run along the road and go back to the place where they had just come from while he lured the bison away," MacLeod stated. "So he saved his grandson’s life."

MacLeod also attempted to get the bison's attention once it charged at the grandfather.

"Someone just needed to distract that bison. So I started yelling for other campers ... running, jumping up as high as I could, and screaming at the top of my lungs, and ran at it to distract," said MacLeod, who has a master's degree in wildlife biology.

A viral video caught the moment the bison charged at Isom-McDaniel and hurled him several feet into the air.

MacLeod told Fox News, "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."

MacLeod informed KIVI-TV, "He said it wasn’t the horn, it was his head. It was actually soft. All the damage came when he hit the ground and broke his femur."

MacLeod recalled that the first thing Isom-McDaniel asked after the brutal attack was: "How is my grandson?" Fox News reported.

"He was in severe pain," MacLeod remembered, but added, "People came to help comfort him. And he started making jokes."

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According to the Seattle Times, Bozeman Health emergency department Dr. Eric Lowe said Isom-McDaniel broke his femur in four places.

In a Facebook video shared by the Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center, Isom-McDaniel gave an update on his health and how the nightmarish scenario unfolded.

The grandpa said of the bison, "He wasn’t showing aggression or anything like that until it picked a target. That target happened to be me."

Isom-McDaniel instructed his grandson to get out of the area.

He then told his grandson, "I will deal with this down here."

Isom-McDaniel said of the wild animal, "They move faster than you could ever imagine."

"He just kept coming, and he was more aggressive," the grandfather recalled. "And as soon as he got off that tree, he launched me in the air."

The grandfather added, "Even though I was on the ground, he could have stomped me, he could have gored me, he could have done anything."

Isom-McDaniel noted, "I didn't get bruises from him launching me in the air. It was the landing that [caused] the problem."

Yellowstone National Park officials confirmed that the bison involved in the attack was not euthanized.

Bison are known to be aggressive toward humans, especially during the summer mating season — which is known as the rut.

Wildlife expert and Zoo Miami Foundation conservation liaison Ron Magill told ABC News that male bison can be particularly dangerous in the summer.

"We're at the peak of what's called the bison rut. This is where the males are just raging in hormones because they're fighting for territories and they're fighting for females," Magill explained.

Magill suggested, "The key thing to do is to move away slowly, do not run, do not make any fast types of movements."

On June 26, a 12-year-old visitor was injured by a bison at Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone Park officials said of that incident, "The visitor sustained injuries, and emergency medical personnel transported them to a nearby hospital."

Officials noted that bison have injured more people at Yellowstone Park than any other animal.

"They are unpredictable, can run three times faster than humans, and will defend their space when threatened," Yellowstone officials said.

Officials warned, "Wild animals can be aggressive when people do not respect their space."

The statement read, "Visitors are responsible for staying at least 25 yards away from all large animals, including bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes, and at least 100 yards away from bears, wolves, and cougars."

"If wildlife approach you, move away to maintain the required distance," the statement read. "Never approach, touch, feed, or crowd wildlife, even if an animal appears calm."

The Yellowstone National Park website points out that male bison are the largest land-dwelling mammal in North America and can weigh as much as a ton and reach speeds of up to 35 mph.

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