NOTE: The video above contains violent footage of a charging bull. Please watch at your own discretion.
A rodeo bull named Party Bus triggered chaos in Sisters, Ore., on Saturday when the animal leapt over an arena fence and stormed through fairgrounds, injuring three people.
In video footage of the rampaging bull, people are seen scrambling out of the animal’s path. The bull is seen approaching one unsuspecting person in a red shirt; the charging animal bucks them twice into the air. Party Bus then tramples forward overtop the victim and a picnic table.
The incident occurred during the final portion of the bull-riding event at Sisters Rodeo while the crowd was singing Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A.
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Many onlookers watched in horror, shouting from the packed rodeo stands as they witnessed Party Bus buck and charge through the grounds.
One of the three victims is a sheriff’s deputy, ABC News reported. The deputy suffered a minor injury while running after the bull.
Two of the three injured persons were taken to hospital. The medical condition of the victims is currently unclear, though the rodeo on Sunday said all of the victims had since returned home from hospital. In a statement posted to social media, Sisters Rodeo said they “immediately activated the emergency response plan” when Party Bus jumped the fence.
The rodeo said the bull was subdued after it ran through the fairgrounds and into the livestock holding pens. There, livestock professionals secured the bull into a pen. Medical responders and local police were called to the scene and provided first aid.
“We wish the best to all affected,” the rodeo wrote in its statement. “The safety of our fans is our highest priority and we appreciate their support.”
The Leslie Lange Rodeo Company, which provides livestock for the rodeo, told KTVZ an escaped bull is a “rarity.”
“That’s not something that we ever want to have happen,” Lange said, adding that Party Bus would be receiving additional training in the near future.
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association called the incident a reminder that “while rodeo is a highly-entertaining sport, on very rare occasions it can also pose some risk.”
Sisters Rodeo continued with its scheduled programming the following day, Sunday, when the final performance was held.
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