Man tossed into the air by ‘agitated’ bull bison was grandfather visiting Yellowstone with grandson

Carl McDaniel was ‘respectful distance’ from animal when it charged and has severe injuries, including broken bones

A tourist who was tossed 8ft in the air by a bison at Wyoming’s Yellowstone national park – an encounter viewed by more than a million social media users thanks to a viral video online – has been identified as a “community-minded” grandfather from Washington state.

Carl McDaniel had severe injuries including broken bones after Friday’s campsite encounter with the bison, which was posted to YouTube by the Wyoming news outlet Cowboy State Daily. A photographer named Mike MacLeod rushed to help the victim on the ground after making the recording.

According to Washington state’s Cascadia Daily News , McDaniel, 65, serves on a number of community boards near his home in Kendall.

He was on a trip to Yellowstone with his grandson when he crossed paths with the “agitated, pissed off” bull bison, estimated at 2,000lb (900kg) – and even after being hurt, McDaniel was trying to make light of the attack to which he was subjected, MacLeod said.

“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 New York Times on Sunday.

The former combat photographer, who has a degree in wildlife biology, said it was obvious to everyone who witnessed the incident that McDaniel and his grandson, who was uninjured, were doing nothing wrong when the animal charged.

“Most people see that these two did not ask for it,” he said, adding that they were at a “respectful distance”. He told the newspaper that as he left the park later he saw “half a dozen far more dangerous instances where people were way closer and being aggressive”.

The National Park Service (NPS) advises visitors to stay at least 100 yards (90 meters) away from bears, wolves and cougars – and a minimum of 25 yards away from all other animals, including bison, the nation’s largest land animal, and elk.

“If an animal moves closer to you, back away to maintain a safe distance,” the park’s website says. “It’s illegal to willfully remain near or approach wildlife, including birds, within any distance that disturbs or displaces the animal.”

Bison rutting season in Yellowstone runs from June until about September. But the NPS was unable to say if that was the reason for the animal’s aggression on Friday.

In a statement sent to the Guardian and other media, the service said only: “A 65-year-old man was injured by a bison on the evening of [10 July] at Bridge Bay Campground near Lake Yellowstone in Yellowstone national park.

“Park emergency medical personnel responded and transported him to a nearby hospital. There are no further details to share.”

The Cascadia Daily News said McDaniel was recovering in hospital on Monday, and family members told NBC News he was undergoing surgery.

The newspaper said he serves on several boards in Washington state’s East Whatcom county. Those include a community alliance seeking to improve communications for rural residents as well as the Columbia Valley water and parks districts.

MacLeod, meanwhile, appeared on Monday on the NBC show Today to share further details of McDaniel’s plight. He recounted how the animal initially appeared to be charging at a pickup truck, then changed its target to McDaniel and his grandson after the vehicle passed.

“It went from a little bit of amusing to watch to critical emergency,” he said.

“I stopped the video because I could see that [the] bison was standing over him and was pumping his head, very aggressive and agitated. And I knew that somebody had to distract that thing.”

The bison was eventually chased off by a group of people, including others staying at the Bridge Bay campground close to Yellowstone Lake in the south-east of the park.