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During the finals event of the Sisters Rodeo in Oregon, a bull jumped over the fence and into the crowd, injuring four spectators.
Video captured the bull clearing the gate and disappearing into the audience before rodeo workers corralled it.
Officials said such an incident was extremely rare but the bull was spooked and trying to return to the holding pens, not targeting anyone.
“I capture him completely going over the gate and disappearing,” witness Danielle Smithers said. “Then there’s this huge pause in the zone he came out of. It seems like people go right back to waving their lights, almost like they’re not really sure what to do.”
Two victims required hospitalization but have since been released.
The rodeo said safety is the top priority and wished the injured well.
“It’s the first time we’ve ever had this happen in Sisters Rodeo history. I talked to our Scott contractors that have that bull, and they said it’s just highly unusual, very rare, they have seen very little of this in their entire career. They’ll see it on their own farm once in a while, just in their own pens, but never had this happen at a rodeo, it’s just very, very rare,” Sisters Rodeo vice president Brian Witt said.
“He was just a little scared. He wasn’t out to try and hit anybody. He was just trying to make it back to the herd and back in the chutes, just getting back with all the rest of the bulls. He was outside the arena, so it was a different situation for him,” Witt said.
“It was remarkably fortunate that there were no additional problems. Our first responders were just remarkable in terms of being able to give immediate care. And the cowboys were just so quick to be right on top of, you know, a pretty volatile situation,” Witt added.
“We wish the best to all affected. The safety of our fans is our highest priority, and we appreciate their support,” Sisters Rodeo stated.
While acknowledging the risks of such events, one witness said she would still attend Sisters Rodeo again in the future.
“I know this is one of those circumstances where you step into a situation like that, whether it be an amusement park or a rodeo or a zoo, for that matter, you’re always accepting the risk,” Smithers said.
