A 60-year-old man died Saturday, February 14, 2026, after sustaining a fatal goring during the first bullfighting celebration of the Carnaval del Toro in Ciudad Rodrigo, Spain. The incident occurred in the upper area of the plaza, known as the Alguacilillo Burial Ground.
Dr. Enrique Crespo, head of the medical team present at the event, described the scene as brutal. According to Dr. Crespo, the man was attacked by the bull after entering the plaza. “The reception was brutal,” he stated. “From above, seeing the scene from the City Hall, we feared the worst.”
Emergency medical personnel immediately transported the injured man to the local infirmary, but his condition was already critical. Dr. Crespo reported that the man died within minutes of arrival. The goring caused an extremely serious injury, with the bull’s horn inflicting devastating damage to the chest. “He entered in agony and it didn’t take him a minute to die,” Dr. Crespo said.
The injury involved significant trauma to vital organs. Specifically, the goring partially destroyed the heart, affected half of the lung and caused catastrophic, unstoppable bleeding. Despite attempts at resuscitation, including opening the chest cavity, medical staff were unable to control the hemorrhage. “We opened his chest and everything was flooded with blood. It was impossible to do anything. No resuscitation or anything,” Dr. Crespo explained.
Dr. Crespo also described the visual impact of the injury, noting a large, approximately 12 to 15 centimeter wound where the lung had been compromised. “It was something that overwhelmed us all,” he said. The incident has deeply affected the medical team and the wider community.
Following the confirmation of death around 1:10 a.m., the judicial protocol was initiated. The coroner determined that an autopsy was unnecessary and authorized the transfer of the body to the funeral home. The Civil Guard is conducting the necessary procedures related to the incident.
While the fatal goring was the most serious incident of the day, other minor injuries were reported. A young man was treated for chest pain, though Dr. Crespo confirmed this was unrelated to the bull and the individual was transported to a local health center in stable condition.
This tragedy marks the first death resulting from a bull’s horn during the Carnaval del Toro in 40 years. The last such incident occurred on Carnival Tuesday in 1986, when Miguel Ángel Garzón, from Lumbrales, died after being gored by a bull from the Ramajo Brothers livestock farm.
Dr. Crespo concluded by emphasizing the profound impact of the event. “The impact cannot be described. The attack was brutal, the wound was mortal and the speed of the outcome did not allow us to do anything. They are moments that mark the entire team and the entire city.”
Bullfighting, a traditional spectacle in Spain and Portugal, carries inherent risks of serious injury and death for both participants and, occasionally, spectators. While regulations and safety measures are in place, the unpredictable nature of the animals and the close proximity of individuals involved contribute to the potential for severe trauma. The incident in Ciudad Rodrigo underscores the dangerous realities associated with this cultural practice.
According to web search results, bullfighting-related injuries and fatalities are not uncommon. A report from September 9, 2025, detailed a similar incident in Ubrique, Cadiz province, where a 57-year-old man was gored to death while attempting to climb to safety during a bull run. The bull, named ‘Mosquetero,’ repeatedly gored the man against a wall. A matador, Ivan Fandiño, died in France in April 2025 after being gored twice during a bullfighting festival. A separate incident in Portugal in August 2025 resulted in the death of a bullfighter after being hit by an enraged bull. These events highlight the consistent risk of severe injury and death associated with bullfighting activities.
The inherent dangers of bullfighting are further supported by investigations into Spanish bullfighting injury and fatality rates, which reveal frequent incidents of injury and death. While specific data on injury rates is difficult to obtain, the recurring reports of fatalities underscore the significant risks involved.
