A fearless rodeo rider in Florida had a close brush with death when the bull he was riding gored him in the neck while being bucked off the beast’s back.
Zachary Naegele, 24, was competing at the Conley Invitational in Palmetto, Florida, last week when the bull’s horn punctured his jugular, causing blood to stream out in a heart-pounding, caught-on-camera moment.
Quick-thinking first responders immediately tended to the thrill-seeking rider, and they applied pressure to his neck before he was ushered to the hospital for surgery. He said he lost more than two gallons of blood in the terrifying, Feb. 7 ordeal.
Zachary Naegele had a close brush with death when the bull he was riding gored him in the neck while being bucked off the beast’s back. (Zachary Naegele via Storyful)
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“I really didn’t feel it when it first happened,” Naegele told Fox 13. “I thought I broke my jaw until I grabbed my chin and then I seen the blood squirt out from my neck, and I said ‘this ain’t good.’”
Neagele, who has been riding bulls since he was 15, thanked God for sparing his life.
“If you don’t know God and you’re getting on bulls, you are walking on a very thin line,” Naegele told the outlet
“It’s different whenever you ask God for another day, and you thank him for every day, but it’s a whole new ball game when you ask for another breath,” said Naegele.
The video begins showing Naegele preparing for his ride inside the buck chute, gripping the bull rope tightly as the commentator introduces him to the crowd, blasting out that the young rider has left Palmetto before with a “pile of cash. Let’s see if we can get it done in 2025.”
The chute gate then opens and the explosive bull bursts out.
Naegele said he lost more than two gallons of blood and was hospitalized after the incident. (Zachary Naegele via Storyful)
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Naegele craftily rides the bull for a few seconds as the angry beast spins, twists and kicks. He eventually loses his balance and as he falls off the bull, it nicks his neck with its left horn.
Initially, it doesn’t appear that Naegele is injured as he crashes to the ground and hits one of the bullfighters.
As he walks away, he can then be seen putting his hands on his neck in a state of panic.
Then, the medics rushed to his aid and provided lifesaving treatment.
“In my 50 years of experience in public safety, this was likely one of the most immediate lifesaving events I have seen in my career,” Deputy Chief Steve Litschauer told Fox 13.
“He had a lot of people rooting for him that night for several reasons. A lot of people were in the right place at the right time,” said Pollock.
Naegele, seen holding his neck, left, and being flung from the bull, right. (Zachary Naegele via Storyful)
Bull riding is unpredictable and riveting but laden with dangers for competitors. It’s been dubbed “the most dangerous eight seconds in sports.” Riders wear protective gear like helmets and body armor, but their necks are exposed as they get flung from the bulls, which can weigh anywhere from 1,200 to 2,000 pounds.
Naegele, in a GoFundMe he created to help with his medical bills, described the incident as a “freak accident.” He said he lost over two gallons of blood and suffered nerve damage.
“I was then put into surgery to do plastic surgery on my neck and fix my small carotid artery that was severed,” he wrote.
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He went into surgery after arriving at the hospital and returned home to Louisiana a few days later, according to Fox 13.
He thanked all the medical staff who helped him and said the experience has not dampened his desire to continue competing in the high-risk sport.
“Whenever I get on, I always know it could be my last time, but you never really think about it when you’re there,” he told Fox 13.
