Rider recovering after bull lands on him
Steve Hency said people who attended Saturday's rodeo at the Carthage Saddle Club Arena witnessed a miracle when a bull-rider, who was stomped in the face and chest by a 1,700 bull, came back from the dead.
For Justin Lillard, the rider in question, Saturday's bull-ride was one he won't forget, even though he remembers very little of it.
Lillard, 29, Springfield, was carried away in an ambulance and taken by helicopter to a Joplin hospital after taking a spill Saturday night at the 31st annual ACRA/IPRA Rodeo at the Carthage Saddle Club Arena in Municipal Park.
"It felt really good to get on the bull, but it doesn't feel quite so good now," Lillard said. "I remember him taking a couple of jumps, but after that, nothing. Some people have said I was on him for four or five seconds, some have said six seconds, but I don't know."
Lillard taken by ambulance to the parking lot of the Carthage Fire Station on Garrison Street where he was transferred by helicopter to St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin.
Hency said medical personnel told him that Lillard's heart nearly stopped when as they were putting him in the ambulance at the arena, but they were able to get it restarted and he was talking to them as they loaded him in the helicopter.
Lillard said he suffered a concussion and a broken nose, although in the arena it looked much worse.
"That boy better go to church every Sunday for the rest of his life and thank God he's still here," Hency said. "I hope he realizes how lucky he is."
Even on Monday, people around town were still unsure and asking about the cowboy who got stepped on by the bull on Saturday.
"People all over town have been talking about it," said Lillard's friend, Regina Shank. "I don't know how many times I've had to tell people, 'No, the cowboy is not dead.'"
Hency said he had not heard how Lillard was doing until he spoke to a reporter on Monday.
"I've heard from 10 people today who said he died," Hency said. "If that's all that happened to him, and he's out and walking around today, it's a miracle."
Hency said he saw parts of Lillard's ride and put together the rest of what happened from second-hand accounts.
Hency said Lillard came out of the chute, his bull jumped a couple of times, and then Lillard "went down the well."
"That's what they call it," Hency said. "He lost his feet, fell forward off the bull while the bull was still in the air, and the bull landed full weight on him, one hoof on his chest and one on his head."
Hency said each of the bulls in the competition weighed around 2,000 pounds.
He said Lillard went into convulsions when ambulance workers arrived at his side, then he went limp.
Hency said the paramedics took Lillard away, and rodeo officials were relieved when they returned to tell them Lillard was talking to them, as he was loaded into the helicopter.
Then on Monday, people were telling Hency that Lillard had died.
"We didn't know what happened to him," Hency said. "It's impossible to get anything from the hospitals with all the privacy laws."
Shank said she was focused on taking pictures of the ride. She shot a photo of Lillard as he exited the chute, and was looking at her camera to make sure she got the shot when the bull threw Lillard to the ground.
"The next thing I knew he was hurt, they were calling in the ambulance and I took off running to see if he was okay," Shank said. "I heard he went into convulsions and they had to shock him, but I didn't see it."
Lillard said he's recovering well, and it will probably be a couple of weeks before he gets back on a bull.
He said his main concern once he woke up was for his daughter, Mason, 7, who was at the rodeo. He said he talked to her and made sure she knew he was okay as soon as she was brought to the hospital.
"It's a real adrenaline rush," Lillard said. "Some people jump out of airplanes, some people race cars, I ride bulls. It's just like the feeling those people who jump out of airplanes, feel, there's just nothing like the rush."
He'd like to hear from anyone who took pictures of the ride.
"I'd like to see any pictures of video of the ride to see what happened," Lillard said. "From what I heard, a lot of people are checking the obituaries to find that guy at the rodeo."
Anyone with pictures or video can contact Lillard at 417-793-9055.
