Man killed in Utah park, bison attack suspected

Utah's KSL-TV reports a 55-year-old man from Syracuse, Utah, is dead after likely being gored by a bison.

Utah State Parks issued this statement about the suspected bison attack:

A 55-year-old man was critically injured today while trail running at Antelope Island State Park.

Two women who were on the Antelope Island State Park Lakeside Trail came across a lone trail runner who was calling out for help. The women called 911 and state park personnel responded. They then promptly administered first aid and called for a medical helicopter to transport the injured man to the University of Utah hospital for further treatment.

The man's injuries are consistent with a possible bison encounter, but there were no known witnesses. This incident remains under investigation at this time.

From NBC News:

The man, whose name has not been released publicly, died on Saturday night, a family friend told KSL-TV. TODAY reached out to Utah State Parks for comment but did not immediately hear back. The friend said the man ran on Antelope Island regularly.

The day before the attack, the official Instagram account for Antelope Island State Park posted a warning alongside a picture of a bison.

From KSL TV in Salt Lake City:

"He was certainly injured," [said Eugene Swalberg, public affairs coordinator for the Utah State Parks], "But there was no eyewitness, and we don't know how long he'd been lying there. He certainly had injuries consistent with a goring, but it's still under investigation, so we cannot definitively say that's what happened."

In addition to wounds that were "consistent with a goring," the man had lacerations that also support being thrown by a bison.

"There was a hat near this individual and also some earbuds," he said. "Was he running with earbuds and spooked a bison? That's entirely possible. We just don't know the circumstances, but he does have wounds and injuries consistent with a goring ... and maybe if he was thrown, lacerations from the rocks."

He said the area where the man was found "is an area that's certainly frequented by bison. It's on the north end of the island, near the corrals and the administration building." He said park employees called for a medical helicopter, and the man was flown to University of Utah Hospital in critical condition.