Story perspectives

Bison Injures Man, Tourists Charged for Hot Spring Trespass

7/22/2026

Summary

Bison Throws

On July 10 2026, 65-year-old Carl Isom-McDaniel was thrown eight feet by a bison at Yellowstone, breaking his femur, which Bozeman Health surgeon Dr. Eric Lowe repaired.
The 2,000-pound bison, capable of 40 mph, hooked him with its horns and tossed him, fracturing the femur in four places.
Photographer Mike MacLeod and campers chased the bison away, protecting the grandson, while Yellowstone officials called it second 2026 attack and urged a 25-yard buffer.

Summary

Tourists Trespass

Two tourists were filmed leaving the boardwalk and walking across Grand Prismatic Spring’s bacterial mats on July 18, 2026, violating Yellowstone rules.
Park officials warned that stepping off paths can cause severe burns from near-boiling water, a hazard that has killed over 20 visitors.
Yellowstone said trespassers may face criminal penalties and that each footstep can permanently damage the spring’s heat-loving bacteria, citing a 2024 seven-day jail case.

History

Historical Context

During 1996 the National Park Service authorized the removal of roughly 1,000 bison from Yellowstone to curb brucellosis, shrinking the herd from about 5,000 to under 4,200. That intervention echoed a broader federal push that year, when President Clinton signed the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, illustrating heightened government action on health and safety.

1 of 3

Bison Throws

On July 10 2026, 65-year-old Carl Isom-McDaniel was thrown eight feet by a bison at Yellowstone, breaking his femur, which Bozeman Health surgeon Dr. Eric Lowe repaired.
The 2,000-pound bison, capable of 40 mph, hooked him with its horns and tossed him, fracturing the femur in four places.
Photographer Mike MacLeod and campers chased the bison away, protecting the grandson, while Yellowstone officials called it second 2026 attack and urged a 25-yard buffer.

1 / 3