A bull rider was gored during a rodeo in the Bronx, New York, in a frightening accident that unfolded in front of stunned spectators, and he is now being credited with surviving in part thanks to the quick thinking of an off-duty medic who happened to be in the crowd. What was meant to be a ride lasting only a few seconds instead ended with the man badly hurt and facing a potentially long recovery.
Witnesses watched as the bull threw its rider to the ground and then turned on him, with the animal goring the man moments later. The scene quickly descended into alarm, and yet, in those first critical seconds, it became apparent that there was no medical professional on hand at the arena to step in and treat the seriously injured rider.
That was when an off-duty medic named Ayala took matters into her own hands. Realising that no medical staff were coming to help, she climbed into the arena despite not having any of her protective gear with her, and used her bare hands to try to slow the bleeding from the wound where the bull had gored the man only seconds earlier.
She also urged those around her to stop filming the incident and instead use their phones to call for an ambulance, telling everyone that the situation was very serious. Recounting the moment afterwards, she described being stunned and frustrated as she grasped that she was the only person there able to help. "That means that I'm a medical professional here," she said. "And I kind of just ran."
Ayala also criticised the way the event had been run, saying the organisers had appeared unprepared for the kind of emergency that can happen at any rodeo. NBC News said it had reached out to the rodeo, identified as Tierra Caliente, in both English and Spanish, but had not received a response. Despite the accident, the event reportedly continued afterwards with music and dancing.
The Fire Department of New York said its emergency medical service transported the rider to a nearby hospital, where authorities reported that he was in a stable condition. The episode has nonetheless drawn attention to questions of safety and readiness at such events, with the rider now left to recover from an injury suffered in a matter of seconds in the ring.