A seasonal mechanic driving home through Yellowstone National Park was left with a damaged pickup truck after a bull bison charged his vehicle early Thursday morning. Kyle Weber had stopped his Ford Ranger to avoid hitting the animal near Mud Volcano at 2:45 a.m., but the bison struck the truck before running away.
Weber was heading south from Canyon Village toward Fishing Bridge after spending the summer working for Yellowstone Park Service Stations. His dashboard camera recorded the encounter, which damaged the truck’s bumper, broke a side marker light, and left a substantial dent in the hood.
Describing the initial encounter to Cowboy State Daily, Weber explained that he spotted the animal while driving around a bend in the dark. “I was going through the trees, coming around the corner, and I saw a bison on the road,” he said. “I slammed on my brakes and stopped and was just sitting there watching and waiting for him to continue walking.”
The Unexpected Charge in the Dark
At first, the bull bison seemed unbothered, ignoring the vehicle as Weber waited for it to move along. Suddenly, the animal ran toward the truck and slammed its massive head into the left side. The impact jolted the driver and pushed the vehicle back by at least a foot and a half.
Once the bison bashed the front of the truck, it turned tail and ran off without stopping. Weber’s dashcam captured the entire event, which left cosmetic damage but spared critical mechanical functions. “My wheel scrapes against the bumper when I do sharp turns, but the headlight and everything else works fine,” Weber noted. “Not as bad as it could have been, but still not great.”
Why Night Driving in Yellowstone is Uniquely Dangerous
The speed limit throughout most of Yellowstone is 45 mph, but the park strongly encourages drivers to reduce their speed in forest-lined corridors that become nearly pitch black at night. Wildlife encounters, particularly with bison, present significant hazards.
Stephen Borgmier, Weber’s co-worker and manager at the Fishing Bridge station, noted that nighttime animal encounters are a regular occurrence. He suggested that headlights may play a role in aggravating the animals. Because bison lack the reflective layer in the back of their eyes found in deer and elk, their dark hides make them exceptionally difficult to see around curves in the dark.
Aftermath and Keeping a Unique Keepsake
Following the hit-and-run, Weber continued driving and eventually overtook the same bison when it wandered onto a pullout, giving the animal a wide berth to avoid further trouble. Rather than filing an insurance claim-likely impractical given his liability-only coverage as a recent technical school graduate-Weber decided to handle repairs himself.
While he plans to replace the damaged bumper and side marker light, Weber intends to leave the dented hood untouched. Reflecting on the unusual incident, he views it as a badge of honor from an otherwise stellar summer working in the park: “I think I’ll keep it. It has a cool story behind it, and after a fantastic summer… it’s a cool little keepsake.”
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where did the bison attack happen?
The incident occurred on a Thursday morning at 2:45 a.m. near Mud Volcano inside Yellowstone National Park.
Who was driving the vehicle?
Kyle Weber, a seasonal mechanic working for Yellowstone Park Service Stations who was driving home in his Ford Ranger.
What damage was done to the truck?
The bull bison’s charge dented the vehicle’s bumper, broke a side marker light, and left a substantial dent in the hood, though the truck remained mechanically operational.
Do bison eyes reflect headlights at night?
No, bison eyes do not reflect headlights the same way deer and elk eyes do because they lack a specialized reflective layer in the back of their eyes, making them harder to spot in the dark.
Did the driver report the incident to insurance?
No, Weber opted not to file an insurance claim. He plans to replace the bumper himself and keep the hood dent as a keepsake.
