EDMONTON — The husband of a woman who was hurt when a bull charged into the crowd at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton has come forward.
Andrew MacKechnie says his 53-year-old wife Carol sustained a fractured pelvis, broken jaw, fractured orbital bone and extensive bruising.
He says his family thanks everyone for their thoughts and well-wishes but says they are requesting privacy and will make no further comment.
Four spectators in all suffered injuries when the beast hopped the rail at Rexall Place Arena on Friday and plunged into the stands.
Three of those were treated at the scene and released; only Carol MacKechnie had to be taken to hospital.
As the seated spectators scattered to try and escape, rodeo hands corralled the animal, named Rewind.
Rodeo officials have said they’ll review the incident, but rodeo commissioner John Windwick noted it was the first time in the 37-year history of the event that something like this happened.
The incident happened moments after Rewind had bucked off rider Tanner Girletz. Pickup rider Gary Rempel, whose job is to round up the animals and guide them off the floor, got a rope on Rewind right before he decided to jump the two-metre fence.
The rope meant that Rempel was able to hold the bull, which weighed close to 600 kilograms, against the inside of the rail and keep him from running further up into the stands.
More rodeo staff arrived to help keep the animal under control until the rails could be removed so that Rewind could be led back though the competition area and out of the arena.