A Utah man suffered serious injuries after being gored by a bison before Thanksgiving, local news network KUTV reported.
Halen Carbajal was left with a lacerated liver and an eight-inch gash in his stomach following his attempt to pet the bison last month, which he decided to do when he saw a herd on his neighbor’s property, according to KUTV.
“I was definitely an idiot in this scenario. I crossed through the fence. I started walking back near the fence,” Carbajal told KUTV. “By the time I got back to the fence, he had followed me all the way over, and I was like ‘oh that’s pretty cool’.”
“I kind of did want to pet him, so I was just being naïve about the whole thing, so I did that, and yeah he just rocked me pretty good,” Carbajal added, according to KUTV.
Utah man gored and seriously injured by bison he tried to pet admits he’s ‘definitely an idiot in this scenario’ https://t.co/Rac9xZ2P86 pic.twitter.com/ydOtyPvxfW
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Carbajal said the bison bowed his head toward the victim, used his horn to puncture his stomach and flipped him over, KUTV reported. Carbajal fled the scene despite his stomach gash, broken rib, lacerated liver and injured lung. He was reportedly transported to the Intensive Care Unit and spent seven days in the hospital before being sent home. (RELATED: Bison Are Being Introduced Into Russian Arctic To Replace Species That Went Extinct 4,000 Years Ago)
A GoFundMe page was created to help Carbajal pay his medical bills.
“Halen is one of the best and most selfless people I know,” the fundraiser stated. “He just finished a season working with the Utah Conservation Corps and he relies on his physical health for the kinds of work he does.”
There is a common misconception bison are friendly because they resemble cows, Faith Heaton-Jolly of the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources said, according to KUTV. Bison are wild animals who can act unpredictably and aggressively.
“It was for sure a reality check or recognizing my naivety and thinking it would be fine to try and touch one, and just realizing that you got to have a lot more reverence for big crazy beasts like that,” Carbajal told KUTV. “You have to have a lot more reverence for big crazy beasts like that you know.”