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Public Defender Is Gored At Running Of The Bulls While Taking Selfie

Doctors say it was 'beyond miraculous' that he survived the attack.

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(Image via Getty)

Participating in the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, is a once in a lifetime experience, but as one public defender was recently learned, all of the thrill and excitement can quicky turn into terror — all thanks to a selfie.

Jaime Alvarez, 46, works as a public defender in Santa Clara County, California, was in Spain with his family to watch his son compete in a soccer tournament, but they decided to stop in Pamplona for the San Fermin festival. His family warned him not to participate in the bull run, but he did so anyway, and was severely injured.

After running the vast majority of the course, the bulls caught up to Alvarez when he entered the bullfighting plaza. Clinging to a fence for safety, Alvarez returned to the ring proper when he thought he’d be clear to take a video selfie to commemorate the occasion. That was the very moment when disaster struck.

Alvarez was gored in the neck by a charging bull. “The impact was unlike anything I’ve ever felt. It was like being hit by a car or a truck,” Alvarez said. “It was scary. I was really out of it, really stunned, I didn’t know what direction to go.” Luckily, Alvarez was rescued by another person in the crowd who rushed him to see paramedics.

The Associated Press has some additional details:

“The joy and the excitement of being in the bullring quickly turned into a scare, into real fear for my life,” Alvarez, 46, said Monday at a regional hospital where he was recovering from surgery.

Doctors told Alvarez the bull’s horn went deep into his neck and fractured part of a cheekbone. That it didn’t hit the jugular vein or major arteries was described to the injured patient as “beyond miraculous.”

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“In the course of a few seconds, a million thoughts came to my mind, and that of dying was definitely one of them,” Alvarez said.

Assistant Public Defender Damon Silver had this to say about his colleague’s near-death experience:

As an office we encourage our employees to pursue outside interests and explore their passions. For many it’s traveling, and we think such pursuits are critical to the general wellness of our entire PDO family. We are relieved the incident was not more serious and we are looking forward to Jaime’s return.

We wish Jaime Alvarez all the best as he continues his recovery. And as a gentle reminder, always listen to your wife.

Run-in with Pamplona bull made American ‘fear for my life’ [Associated Press]
Santa Clara County deputy public defender recounts goring at Running of the Bulls [San Jose Mercury News]
Public defender is gored while taking selfie at running of the bulls [ABA Journal]

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Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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