Northlands officials confirm a woman suffered unknown injuries after a bull jumped the arena barrier at the Canadian Finals Rodeo Friday night.
People in the stands say the 1,600-pound animal, named Rewind, cleared the fence and landed in the crowd after it bucked off its rider, also injuring three other people who were treated on scene.
Carol Lowe was two rows away when the incident happened and says people scrambled to get out of the way.
"The bull was right there, my daughter was here and we said, ‘get out of here,' and we ran up the stairs," she told CTV News on Saturday.
According to witnesses, outriders acted quickly to secure the situation, dismantling the barrier and leading the bull under the seats to an enclosed pen.
Gary Rempel was one of two men responsible for roping Rewind and taking him off the field. He started to pull the animal back as the injured woman clung to the railing.
"[The bull] come around, I roped him just about the time he jumped," he said.
"I'm just glad I caught him, that is all I can say."
Alberta Health Services will not comment on the condition of the woman who was taken away by ambulance, but confirmed Saturday afternoon she is still in hospital.
One man who was sitting close to where the incident happened says the victim didn't look "too bad" but that it was hard to tell how seriously she was hurt.
"It looked like she got kicked in the mouth and I couldn't tell if she got stepped on," said Mark Vandyk.
"But it's never good when something that big hits you."
Officials say this was a rare safety breach and praised rodeo and medical staff for following set emergency policies.
"This was truly an unpredictable event and it's the first time in Canadian Finals Rodeo history that this type of incident has happened with a bull," said event Commissioner John Windwick.
"Our staff did exactly what they should have done… We would like to commend all emergency response personnel for their immediate attention."
Officials say a review is underway to see if any additional safety measures are needed at the site, but qualified that statement by saying no big changes are planned for the immediate future.
Northlands representatives say the bull is fine, save for a small cut on its back. The animal will not be part in the Canadian Finals Rodeo anymore, but will continue to compete elsewhere.
With Files from Kevin Armstrong
