On Day 2 of Monthlong US Road Trip, UK Teen Attacked by Bison

On the second day of what was supposed to be a monthlong US road trip during her gap year, UK teen Amelia Dean was attacked and left partially paralyzed by a bison in a South Dakota nature reserve. Dean, 19, was walking with a friend and the friend's dog in Custer State Park about seven weeks ago when the bison attacked for no apparent reason, Dean tells Dakota News Now. "They came over a hill and saw down in the dip, quite a way ahead of them, they saw a big, male bison," her father explains. They decided to give the animal a wide berth: "They were over 100 yards away and the bison just ran down the hill at her," says Dean's mother. After standing less than an arm's length away from Dean for a few seconds, the bison attacked.

Its horn pierced her thigh and came out the other side, her parents say, and the bison tossed her 10 to 15 feet into the air. They say it's a miracle she didn't bleed out, as her femoral artery had been severed and it took 20 minutes for help to arrive. Due to nerve damage, however, she is now paralyzed from the knee down in one leg, devastating the avid dancer. A GoFundMe campaign is raising money for her to be treated at the Mayo Clinic. "This could be Mia’s best chance to regain control of her foot," the campaign reads. (More South Dakota stories.)