London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

British teenager left partially paralysed after bison attack in US nature reserve

British teenager left partially paralysed after bison attack in US nature reserve

Amelia Dean, 19, was attacked by the animal while hiking with a friend through Custer State Park, South Dakota

A British woman has been left partially paralysed after being gored by a bison that tossed her 15ft into the air in a US nature reserve.

Amelia Dean, 19, was attacked by a large male American bison while hiking with a friend through Custer State Park, South Dakota, seven weeks ago.

She was left bleeding heavily after the bison charged and one of its horns pierced her left thigh, severing the femoral artery and damaging nerves in her lower leg and between her thighs, according to her parents Matthew and Jacqueline Dean.

After the attack, the animal, which can reach a size of more than 6ft and weigh up to 907kg (2,000lb), stood near the backpacker’s head until her friend managed to lead it away and called the emergency services.

“I remember feeling the pressure on my hip. My hip being pushed back and I remember the sensation of flying in the air and going head over heels,” the teenager told the local station KOTA-TV from her hospital bed at Monument Health in Rapid City, South Dakota.

“The bison stuck around and his hooves were right over my head. I remember them being like right by my head,” she said.

Dean said the bison, one of 1,500 in the 29,000-hectare (71,000-acre) wilderness park, appeared to have been startled as she and her friend, who was walking a dog on a lead, approached it.

“It’s a surreal enough experience let alone the fact that we weren’t doing anything that really warranted it. We were just having a walk in the park,” she told the local TV station.

Her parents have launched a GoFundMe in a bid to raise the £140,000 required for her to undergo specialist treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

The couple, from Brockham in Surrey, hope to secure specialist care from a peripheral nerve surgeon to treat their daughter’s paralysis and severe nerve pain in her left lower leg.

In a plea for donations on their fundraising page, her parents wrote: “This could be Mia’s best chance to regain control of her foot, and time is running out.

“We are beyond fortunate that our daughter is still breathing, as she should have bled out in two to eight minutes after the severed artery and the ambulance didn’t arrive for 20 minutes. It is a miracle that she is alive today.

“We … simply wish for her to be able to walk and dance again and live her life to the full, without chronic long-term pain.”

The couple added that although their daughter’s travel insurance has paid for the femoral artery bypass, the insurer has refused to pay for an examination of her nerve injury by the specialist.

The teenager was attacked on the second day of a US road trip, near the end of her gap year after travelling around Europe. She was due to start studying at the University of Edinburgh next month.

But she said she hoped her ordeal would not deter others from travelling. “This is a freak accident – this isn’t going to happen every time somebody walks in a park. Hopefully.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×