A 55-year-old Utah man died while at Antelope Island after possibly being gored by a bison. A medical helicopter transported the man to the University of Utah hospital.
According to the press release, the man sustained “critical” injuries “consistent with a possible bison encounter.” Two women reportedly came across the “lone trail runner…calling out for help” on the Island’s lakeside trail. They quickly called 911 to report the incident.
The man, whose name has not been publicly released, died on Saturday night. According to a family friend, the man regularly ran on Antelope Island, Today reports.
Eugene Swalberg, the public affairs coordinator for Utah State Parks, spoke out about the suspected bison attack while speaking with KSL-TV. “He was certainly injured,” Swalberg said. “We don’t know how long he’d been lying there. He certainly had injuries consistent with a goring, but … we cannot definitively say that’s what happened.”
The man also sustained injuries and lacerations indicating that the bison threw him. “There was a hat near this individual and also some earbuds,” Swalberg said. “Was he running with earbuds and spooked a bison? That’s entirely possible. We just don’t know the circumstances, but he does have wounds and injuries consistent with a goring … and maybe if he was thrown, lacerations from the rocks.”
Utah Park Issues Warning About Bison Encounters Day Before the Attack
The official Instagram account for the Antelope Island State Park issued a warning about bison encounters the day prior to the attack. “Out for a Thursday morning work related stroll and ran into this guy,” the caption reads. “Always keep an eye on your surroundings and give animals a lot of distance.”
This recent attack marks one of many bison encounters in the U.S. this summer. Earlier in August, a video went viral showing a Montana reporter hilariously reacting to a bison coming after him. Check out the clip here.
[H/T Today]
