Man planned ‘beautiful’ Yellowstone proposal — then his partner was gored by a bison
A couple was forced to improvise after a bison ruined their plans for a scenic proposal in Yellowstone National Park — by goring one of them.
Amber Harris, 47, and Chris Whitehill had been planning their trip to Yellowstone from Phoenix for about a year, Harris said on Facebook. She was “so excited to spend quality time” with Whitehill and with her daughter.
On their first morning in the park, they walked to the lodge for coffee and strolled through a field to get to Yellowstone Lake, Harris said in the July 18 post. There were other people present, as well as 20 elk roaming around, so they waited for the elk to pass before continuing through the field.
Halfway to the water, they noticed two bison, Harris said. One was on the path they were walking, and the other was facing away from them.
“We stopped and looked at the massive beast, about 50 yards away on the trail, hidden at first in the shadows of the trees,” Harris said. “We watched him drop and roll in the dirt, like a dog would. He got up on his feet and started walking then running toward us.”
Whitehill told Arizona Family’s they turned to leave to get distance between the bison — and 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 told the station. “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.”
Harris was carried out of the field on a stretcher and flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, McClatchy News previously reported. It was the first goring reported in the park in 2023.
“When it’s someone you love and you witness something so tragic like that, you feel helpless,” Whitehill told Arizona Family’s.
Harris was seriously injured in the goring — “pain meds, CT, MRI and I sustained 7 spine fractures, bilateral collapsed lungs and bruising all over,” she said on Facebook. “Glory to God all my vital organs look good.”
Whitehill had planned “a beautiful marriage proposal this week on a natural bridge,” but Harris wouldn’t be able to leave the hospital anytime soon, she said.
“So my love got down on one knee beside my hospital bed last night and formally asked me to be his wife,” she said. “Without any hesitation I said yes!”
Harris shared a photo of the engagement ring on her finger from her hospital bed.
Whitehill had planned to propose to Harris on Wednesday, July 19, after three years of dating, Arizona Family’s reported. But he asked after the bison attack at the hospital on Monday, according to Harris’ Facebook post.
“Amber is a beautiful person inside and out and cherished by all,” he wrote on an online fundraising page set up to help with their medical bills.
“Please pray for my healing,” Harris wrote on Facebook, adding that she feels God protected her in the attack. “He will heal me.”
This story was originally published July 20, 2023 at 5:29 PM with the headline "Man planned ‘beautiful’ Yellowstone proposal — then his partner was gored by a bison."
