Five people were hospitalized after a bull escaped an arena at an Oregon rodeo and charged into patrons, authorities said Sunday.
Video verified by NBC News showed a rodeogoer charged and flipped by the bull named Party Bus. Sisters Rodeo Association said the bull jumped an arena barrier, charged onto the rodeo grounds, and ran to holding pens, where livestock professionals contained it.
The arena announcer immediately called for an emergency response, it said.
“A rodeo bucking bull jumped a fence and ran through the rodeo grounds before being secured by our rodeo pickup men and arena staff by the back livestock pens,” Sisters Rodeo said in a statement.
Video from the scene shows that Saturday’s incident at the 84th Sisters Rodeo in the city of Sisters, about 22 miles north of Bend, took place right before the last ride of the night was scheduled.
A sold-out crowd was singing along to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.”
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Jayson Janes initially said four people were injured and indicated one or possibly more were injured amid the chaos of people fleeing.
On Monday, a spokesperson for the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District said the number of injured was five: Two were struck by the bull and the others were injured as the crowd responded.
The injured included one person who may have had a broken collarbone; a female with a leg injury; a female with a broken nose; another female with facial injuries and, possibly, a broken nose; and a male with facial abrasions and a possible head injury, spokesperson Julie Spor said by email.
Three of the injured were taken by ambulance to medical facilities, while one was taken by private vehicle and another by sheriff’s cruiser, she said. None were admitted, as all of their injuries were considered minor, she said.
“We are grateful to hear that all injured persons are now home,” Sisters Rodeo said in a separate statement Sunday.
Sheriff’s deputies assigned to the event and private security responded to the breach, the lieutenant said. “It was contained pretty quickly,” Janes said.
Organizers said it was the first time anyone could recall such a breach happening since the their first event in Sisters in 1940.
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association credited the arena’s pickup men for quickly containing the animal.
“We are grateful for the rapid, professional response of our arena pickup men, rodeo staff, and local first responders, who were able to prevent the situation from being worse,” it said in a statement.
Party Bus, the bull in question, competed in the Sisters Rodeo Xtreme Bull Riding event Wednesday and tied for third in that first round, according to PRCA information.
Association spokesperson Tracy Renck said by email on Monday that Party Bus “has been removed from any further PRCA sanctioned rodeos.”
The stock contractor for the bull, Corey & Lange Rodeo of Moses Lake, Washington, could not be reached for comment. Organizers of Saturday’s event said the bull was checked out by veterinarians and is believed to be unharmed.
Janes said Saturday’s event was sold out, and he initially described the crowd size as being in the hundreds. Organizers said the capacity for their venue is 5,500.
The five-day annual Sisters Rodeo competition moved forward with scheduled events on Sunday, organizers said.
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