Woman Gored In Final Pamplona Bull Run Is In ‘Very Serious’ Condition

A woman was gored in the final Pamplona bull run for this season, and doctors say she is in “very serious” condition. The woman, who came to the festival from Australia.

Officials have not released the 23-year-old’s name, but have said that she was struck by a huge Miura bull while she was clinging to wooden barriers just yards from the bull ring entrance.

She was injured when the bull gored her back, causing damage to her ribs and a lung. Four other people were sent to the hospital with cuts and bruises. Miuras are Spain’s largest and fastest fighting bulls, known for their acceleration, grace, and stamina.

The running of the bulls at Pamplona is thought to have started in the 13th century, though it has happened almost every year since 1592, when the festival moved from September to July. It is thought that people joined the bull run in the 1800s.

While the tradition has continued for hundreds of years, the one week festival was made famous internationally by Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises. Since then, it has attracted thousands of foreign visitors.

Along with the gored Australian woman, three Spaniards and one American sustained injuries. They are not the only injuries sustained this week either. A 19-year-old Spaniard was left in “very serious” condition when runners piled up at the entrance to the bullring. Several others were also trampled.

Three men were also gored on Friday, including an American who had his spleen removed as a result. The only information officials have released about the gored woman is her initials, J.E., and that she was taken to the hospital for surgery. She suffered several rib fractures and damage to her right lung.

It is rare for a woman to be injured during the run, as most of the runners are men. Records show that only two other women have been gored in the festival’s recent history. the four others hurt on Sunday were tossed by bulls or fell while running. The last person to be killed in the running of the bulls was a man in 2009.

While the woman who was gored on Sunday remains in “very serious condition,” it is not clear whether or not doctors expect her to live.

[Image via Migel / Shutterstock.com]