The grandfather who went wildly viral after he was filmed being tossed in the air by a bison at Yellowstone National Park reassured everyone he is “OK” — despite undergoing surgery for a broken thigh bone.
Carl Isom-McDaniel, 65, was thrown around eight feet in the air by the beast Friday night while visiting the park with his 13-year-old grandson.
He broke his femur — the strongest bone in the body — in four places near his hip, but was already able to stand Monday after having surgery the day before, he told CNN.
“Thank you everyone I am OK,” McDaniel posted to his Facebook account late Sunday with a thumbs up emoji.
The retiree and community leader from Kendall, Wash. also praised the animal for not killing him during the attack.
“When I was on the ground immobile, unable to move, he was right on top of me,” McDaniel told CNN.
“He could have stomped on me, he could have gored me, he could have done almost anything to take my life, and he did not do so.”
Mike MacLeod, the professional photographer who captured the now-insanely viral video, said McDaniel was “in good spirits” as soon as the danger was over — and mostly worried that people would think he had upset the wild animal.
“He was in a lot of pain, but was conscious and joking the whole time,” the shutterbug told Cowboy State Daily.
“He was really worried and wanted to see the video to make sure that it wasn’t his fault.
“It’s not his fault. You can tell from the very beginning. That was a really, really angry bison.”
