Yellowstone National Park has always been a bucket-list destination, but with the popular television series starring Kevin Costner, travelers have a whole new reason to visit the area. The park is 3,472 square miles and mainly located in the state of Wyoming, with small sections in Montana and Idaho. The park is beautiful, but visiting has some risks. Wildlife has been known to attack tourists from time to time.
Amber Harris, her daughter Rylee, and her boyfriend Chris Whitehill were victims of a bison attack on July 17, 2023. It was a traumatic event for all involved, landing all three of them in the hospital. Chris was always going to propose during this trip and decided to go ahead with it, even though things were not as he planned.
Amber shared her happy news on Facebook the day after the bison gored her. The photo shows both her engagement ring and hospital bed. “Chris had planned a beautiful marriage proposal this week on a natural bridge but all three of us have been in the hospital since yesterday morning and I won’t be able to leave any time soon,” she gushed. “So my love got down on one knee beside my hospital bed last night and formally asked me to be his wife. Without any hesitation I said yes!”
It does not appear that Amber and her group did anything to provoke the animal. “The female was walking with another individual in a field in front of the Lake Lodge when they saw two bison,” the National Park Service noted in a statement. “Upon seeing them, the visitors turned to walk away from the bison. One of the bison charged and gored the woman.”
Amber shared on Facebook that the bison’s actions caused “7 spine fractures, bilateral collapsed lungs and bruising all over.”
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Chris is still processing his emotions about the attack on Amber. He keeps replaying the incident in his mind. “It was such a freak accident,” he told 12 News, getting emotional. “And you think, ‘OK well we’re taking precautionary measures, we’re doing what we had been told to do to stay safe’ and it’s still not enough.”
NPS gave advice on how to avoid situations like Amber’s. “When an animal is near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area, give it space,” it advised. “Stay more than 25 yards (23 m) away from all large animals — bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes — and at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves. If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in proximity.”
