A Brit was left fighting for her life after she was gored by an angry bison that struck a hole through her leg.
Amelia Dean, 19, was launched 15ft into the air and was left with a punctured artery, causing incredible damage.
She was only able to escape the beast in South Dakota in the US when her friend managed to lead it away and called for an ambulance.
The relieved parents said: "We are beyond fortunate that our daughter is still breathing, as she should have bled out in two to eight minutes after the severed artery and the ambulance didn’t arrive for 20 minutes.
"It is a miracle that she is alive today. We believe that God put a veil of protection over Mia."
Mia and her friend were embarking on the trip of a lifetime across the US and were walking along a trail in Custer State Park when they met the bison.
Bisons can weigh anywhere between 300kg to up to one tonne.
They were walking the route along with a dog and skirted around the animal blocking their patch, which seemed content with their presence at first.
The beast suddenly turned and began charging from around 100 yards away.
Her father Matthew explained: "Mia was shocked into stillness, the bison halting directly in front of her.
"The two stared at each other for a few seconds before the bison surged forwards, gorging her in the left thigh with his horn."
Lucky to survive her gushing wound, the attack also caused extensive damage to her nerves in her leg.
Doctors at the Rapid City Hospital were able to save her leg, but it is now paralysed from the knee down.
The keen dancer faces more surgery in the future and she is unable to move her foot.
The family has launched a GoFundMe page with hopes of raising money for the hugely expensive treatment she received in the US.
Mia's insurance company have refused to pay out for treatment beyond her first surgery and they have so far raised just a fraction of the £140,000 required.
Her page reads: "Rapid City Hospital, despite their amazing work on Mia’s injury does not have the expertise nor equipment to properly examine and treat the nerve injury.
"Mayo Clinic, a world-class hospital in the peripheral nerve field (a very niche field), has accepted Mia as a referral from Rapid City Hospital. This could be Mia’s best chance to regain control of her foot, and time is running out."
The plucky teen herself urged people to count the horror incident as a one off.
She said: "She said: "Travel and explore and have fun.
"This is a freak accident this isn’t going to happen every time somebody walks in a park. Hopefully."
