Horrifying moment reveller, 37, is gored in the neck and trampled in Spanish bullring

This is the horrifying moment a Spanish reveller was left fighting for his life after being gored in the neck and trampled in a bullring at an annual festival.

The 37-year-old, named locally as Jose Ramon Bronte Les, was left haemorrhaging blood and appeared to be virtually lifeless as he dropped to his knees in his blood-stained clothes before being pulled to safety as the animal briefly paused its attack.

He was saved by an Italian cardiovascular surgeon who was on holiday and happened to be among the spectators watching the event.

The specialist medic reportedly offered to perform an emergency operation at the scene and was able to stem the haemorrhaging with other emergency responders before the injured man was rushed to hospital. 

The drama happened on Sunday evening at a bullring in the town of Arguedas an hour’s drive south of Pamplona in northern Spain.

The animal that charged Jose Ramon was a young heifer, which are often used in Spanish festivals because they are less dangerous than bulls and baby bulls but are faster and can still do a lot of damage with their horns.

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The reveller was knocked to the ground from behind after taking part in a Pamplona-style Running of the Bulls event through the streets of Arguedas as the animals entered the bullring.

Spectators could be heard screaming with horror as the heifer, called a vaquilla in Spanish, pushed its target up against the walls of the bullring and continued to dig its horns into his flesh.

With blood pouring from his neck, the man is shown trying to get to his feet. However, he appears too weak to do so, and is seen limply sitting in the dirt. 

Footage of the final seconds of the drama showed two men pulling him out of the reach of the animal by lifting him up by his T-shirt.

Local reports said the hero Italian surgeon, identified only by his first name Efren, helped to stabilise the injured man and travelled with him and other emergency responders in the back of the ambulance after offering to operate on him.

Jose Ramon, whose condition has been described as ‘serious but stable’, is already said to have thanked the man who saved him after starting to breathe unaided at Reina Sofia Hospital in Tudela and receiving his first visits from relatives.

Efren, who was camping in Arguedas during his stopover en-route to Portugal, has declined requests for interviews and was on Tuesday believed to have left town for his final holiday destination.

Sunday’s near-tragedy occurred a day after an 18-year-old died after being gored by a bull during annual festivities in the town of Soneja in the east coast Spanish province of Castellon.

The animal that killed him had just been let loose after burning balls of flammable material attached to its horns were set alight while it was still tied to a post.

Welfare activities have attempted to stop the controversial practice, known in Spanish as toro embolado.

The return of festivities involving Spanish animals since the easing of coronavirus restrictions has led to a spate of goring deaths and injuries so far this summer.

At the start of the month a reveller was dragged to safety with blood gushing down his leg after being gored by a young bull at a Spanish festival where a man was killed three years ago.

A woman onlooker could be overheard yelling: ‘He’s bleeding to death’ as he was helped away before a Good Samaritan administered a life-saving tourniquet after it was confirmed his femoral artery had been hit.

The drama involving the 47-year-old happened at an annual festival in Pinoso near Alicante on the Costa Blanca, the same place where a 26-year-old man lost his life three years ago during the same festivities.

Last month a reveller cheated death after being mauled by a bull during an annual event in the Costa Blanca resort of Moraira near Benidorm known as the Bous a la Mar, which literally means Bulls in the Sea.

He suffered a gore injury to his groin as well as scratches and bruising after being pinned on the ground in a temporary bull ring set up by the marina quayside for nearly half a minute by the angry animal.

The man eventually managed to free himself from its clutches and jumped into the sea after running to safety The day before the scare it emerged three people had died in just 24 hours after being gored by bulls at other festivals in the area.

On July 20 it was confirmed a 56-year-old man had lost his fight for life in hospital after being rushed to intensive care with head and gore injuries on July 12 from an event in Picassent near the east coast city of Valencia.

The local town hall said at the time it had decreed a day of mourning after learning of the man’s death.

On July 19 it emerged a 50-year-old man named as Josep Antoni Garcia Arnau had died at another Valencia hospital from injuries he suffered after being up-ended by a bull at a festival in Meliana a 40-minute drive north of Picassent.

He was diagnosed with seven broken ribs and one of the blows he suffered is said to have penetrated one of his lungs and caused a build-up of blood which eventually claimed his life.

Around the same time it was confirmed a Frenchman aged 64 had died in hospital nine days after being gored during an annual festival in Pedreguer on the Costa Blanca a half-hour drive from Moraira.

All three men had been taking part in annual events known locally as Bous Al Carrer, which literally means Bulls on the Street.