Fiancé describes recovery for Phoenix woman gored by bison in Yellowstone
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Officials with Yellowstone National Park say a 47-year-old woman from Phoenix was gored by a bison Monday morning. Chris Whitehill said his fiancée, Amber Rogers, is the victim who is now lying in a hospital bed at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. He said she was flown there Monday after the attack.
Whitehill said they were escaping the Arizona heat and visiting Rogers’ daughter, who works at the park. They were walking near the Lake Lodge Cabins when he said they spotted a bison. “I noticed one bison who was grazing as we started to walk down, and he was a good 30 to 40 yards out. And he was kind of giving us the look, and I told Amber to be aware of him,” said Whitehill.
He said they started to leave and create distance. They thought they were safe. “All of a sudden, I look down towards the waterline and I see a big cloud of dust and a tail whip up in the air. And I’m thinking to myself that’s kind of strange behavior,” he said. “He scratched at the ground, and he started charging full force at her and hit her square on with his head right in her abdomen area. And I looked up and he launched her into the air about 8 to 10 feet.”
All he heard next was Rogers screaming and crying in pain. He said she received help and was flown to the nearest trauma center in Idaho. “When it’s someone you love and you witness something so tragic like that, you feel helpless,” he said.
Whitehill said Rogers has multiple fractures in her back and both of her lungs are partially collapsed. He said doctors don’t believe she needs surgery but will have a long road to recovery. “I praise God that she’s here with us, and I praise God that he’s going to get through it, but it’s still an extremely difficult thing to go through,” he said.
He is grateful for his church’s prayers and support. Whitehill said he planned to propose to Rogers on Wednesday at the park after three years of dating but ended up asking the big question on Monday at the hospital. He has started a GoFundMe to cover the medical costs. You can click or tap here to donate.
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Source: Arizona's Family
