Rodeo rider in Florida hospitalized after bull's horn slices neck open, says he intends to keep competing

PALMETTO, Fla. - A rodeo rider in Florida had a close brush with death when the bull he was riding sliced him in the neck when he was thrown off the animal's back.

However, the 24-year-old says he plans to continue competing.

Zachary Naegele had a close brush with death when the bull he was riding gored him in the neck while being bucked off the beast’s back. (Zachary Naegele via Storyful)

What led to the incident?

The backstory:

Zachary Naegele was competing at the Conley Invitational on Feb. 7 in Palmetto, Florida, when the incident happened.

A video of the accident first shows Naegele preparing for his ride inside the buck chute, gripping the bull rope tightly as the commentator introduces him to the crowd, blasting out that the young rider had left Palmetto before with a "pile of cash. Let’s see if we can get it done in 2025."

The chute gate then opens, and the bull bursts out.

The video shows Naegele riding the bull for a few seconds as the beast spins, twists and kicks. Naegele eventually loses his balance, and, as he falls off the bull, it nicks his neck with its left horn.

Initially, it doesn’t appear that Naegele is injured, as he crashes to the ground and hits one of the bullfighters. As he walks away, he can then be seen putting his hands on his neck.

First responders immediately tended to the rider, and they applied pressure to his neck before he was ushered to the hospital for surgery.

Naegele said he underwent plastic surgery on his neck and also had surgery to fix his small carotid artery that was severed.

Naegele returned home to Louisiana only a few days later.

Zachary Naegele said he lost copious amounts of blood and was hospitalized after the incident. (Zachary Naegele via Storyful)

'Whenever I get on, I always know it could be my last time'

What they're saying:

"In my 50 years of experience in public safety, this was likely one of the most immediate lifesaving events I have seen in my career," Deputy Chief Steve Litschauer said of the incident.

Naegele, in a GoFundMe he created to help with his medical bills, described the incident as a "freak accident." He said he lost copious amounts of blood and suffered nerve damage.

"I really didn’t feel it when it first happened," Naegele said. "I thought I broke my jaw, until I grabbed my chin, and then I (saw) the blood squirt out from my neck, and I said, ‘This ain’t good.’"

Naegele, who has been riding bulls since he was 15 years old, thanked God for still being alive.

"If you don’t know God and you’re getting on bulls, you are walking on a very thin line," Naegele said. "It’s different whenever you ask God for another day, and you thank him for every day, but it’s a whole new ball game when you ask for another breath."

Naegele thanked all the medical staff who helped him, and he said the experience did not dampened his desire to continue competing in the high-risk sport.

"Whenever I get on, I always know it could be my last time, but you never really think about it when you’re there," he said.

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