A family caught in the middle of a bison stampede described the terror they felt as the herd charged their rental car at Yellowstone National Park last week.
Camera phone video caught the Delle Chiaie family's panicked screams as one of the giant animals smashed into their car in the road at the park's Lamar Valley in Wyoming on Aug. 13.
“It was total fear," Julie Delle Chiaie told NBC News. "You have, like, 2,000-pound animals rushing at the front of your car."
“It was actually like being in a car accident," Bruce Delle Chiaie added. "You know how you get that right afterwards, ‘Oh, I can’t believe that happened.’”
The incident left a big impression on the family, not to mention their rented GMC SUV.
“The hood was pretty ruined, the front driver's quarter, the roof. Frame was bent in the windshield was cracked," Bruce Delle Chiaie said. "They snapped the mirror pretty much off the car — the plastic on the side of the car. The door didn't open right anymore."
During the episode, the family had joked about not getting insurance on the vehicle, a move that may cost them a lot of money.
“Yeah, there was at least $10,000 ... in damage,” Bruce said.
Despite all that happened, the family has maintained a sense of humor about the incident.
“The only thing we could have done different is, like, went to Disney,” Julie joked.
The accident is the latest episode involving bison at Yellowstone this summer. In July, a 9-year-old girl was tossed into the air when a bison charged her. Earlier this month, an alarming video showed a man petting a bison and spooking the animal, despite warnings to stay away.
Separately, a 17-year-old was gored in the leg during a hike at Theodore Roosevelt National Park on July 27.