A 58-year-old man was gored through the chest by a charging bull on the final day of a running-of-the-bulls festival near Madrid, the latest in a string of serious and fatal injuries at Spain's traditional bull events.
The man, identified only as Manuel, climbed a fence separating spectators from the bull during the festival in Navalcarnero, a town roughly 20 miles southwest of Madrid. He clung to the barrier as the animal charged, then slipped and fell. The bull's horns tore into his body, leaving a deep open wound to the left side of his chest. He collapsed on the ground as bystanders rushed to drag him under the barrier by his feet while the bull appeared to ready a second charge.
A festival staff member tried to distract the animal. Manuel underwent surgery right there in the bullring before a helicopter airlifted him to a hospital. A spokesperson for Spain's emergency response coordination center confirmed the severity of the injuries, telling reporters:
"A 58-year-old man has been seriously injured after being gored during the running of the bulls in Navalcarnero. He had a wound to the left hemithorax. He underwent surgery in the bullring."
Manuel was described as being in very serious condition. Spanish authorities did not release his surname or identify the hospital where he was taken.
The goring at Navalcarnero was not an isolated event. It came just weeks after at least 57 people were wounded during the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain's largest and most famous bull-running festival. That eight-day annual event saw injuries pile up through its final morning.
Among the wounded in Pamplona: an 86-year-old British man from Halesowen in the West Midlands, who suffered injuries to his right hand, left elbow, and right eyebrow. An 18-year-old local was gored in the left thigh. A 46-year-old man from Guadalajara took a horn to the chest. Bull-related events in Spain have produced alarming scenes beyond the traditional runs as well, with animals charging into areas where spectators and even vehicles were present.
Between 200 and 300 people are injured each year at Pamplona alone. At least 16 people have died during Pamplona's runs over the past 116 years.
And the toll extends well beyond Pamplona. On September 5, a 64-year-old woman from Catalonia was fatally gored at a bull event in the village of Ayna, in the province of Albacete. She had been visiting the town with her husband. When the bulls approached, she tried to climb to safety and waved her hand toward the animals. She then attempted to run. A black bull charged her repeatedly. Medics could not stabilize her, and she died while being transferred to a helicopter.
Deadly and dangerous incidents at Spanish festivals are not limited to bull runs. Fireworks have exploded into crowds at other celebrations, injuring dozens. The pattern raises a straightforward question about whether organizers and local authorities are doing enough to protect attendees, or whether tradition has become an excuse for tolerating preventable harm.
Spain's bull-running festivals draw enormous crowds year after year. Pamplona alone attracts international visitors by the thousands, and smaller towns like Navalcarnero hold their own versions. The country's broader festival culture pulls in visitors from around the world, often to events where safety infrastructure has not kept pace with attendance.
Manuel's case underscores the risk even for spectators who are not running alongside the animals. He was on the crowd side of the barrier when he climbed the fence, and one slip put him directly in the path of a charging bull. No motive for climbing the fence was reported. No investigation or regulatory response has been publicly announced.
Spain's cultural traditions are its own business. But when a 58-year-old man needs emergency surgery in a bullring and an 86-year-old tourist ends up in a hospital bed, the question isn't whether the tradition is worth preserving. It's whether anyone in charge is willing to be held accountable when it goes wrong. Similar scenes have played out at bull festivals across Latin America, with fatalities and mass injuries following the same grim script.
Tradition without accountability is just negligence with a parade permit.
