The desire to have a selfie as a souvenir from running with the bulls in Spain turned into a near-death experience this American lawyer says he'll never forget.
A charging bull ran over and gored San Francisco resident Jaime Alvarez in the neck during the first run of this year's San Fermin festival in Pamplona, an event immortalized by writer Ernest Hemingway nearly a century ago.
Alvarez, who works as a public defender in Santa Clara County, California, said he realized how severely he'd been hurt during his encounter with the bull Sunday morning when he touched his neck and his hand came away covered with blood. While his daughter and wife cautioned him against joining the crowd that would race the bulls, Alvarez said the energy in the streets of Pamplona on the festival's opening day was too strong to resist.
Alvarez says he ran most of the 913-yard course ahead of the bulls. But by the time they entered the bullfighting plaza at the end, the pack of animals had caught up with him. "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."Someone grabbed Alvarez by the arm and pushed through the crowds to get to paramedics, possibly saving the American's life.
Monday's bull run lasting 2 minutes and 23 seconds yielded less serious injuries, despite the fierceness traditionally attributed to bulls from the Cebada Gago ranch, which supplied the second day's pack.
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