Rodeo sued for $11.5M after bull injures two spectators

A rodeo bull named Party Bus has prompted two lawsuits totaling $11.5 million after it allegedly jumped a fence and injured spectators at the Sisters Rodeo in Oregon in 2024. The plaintiffs claim they were hurt when the animal escaped into the crowd, with video footage showing people scrambling to avoid the bull as it attacked one person and a picnic table.

Kristin Wert is suing the Sisters Rodeo, Corey and Lange Rodeo Co., and the Professional Cowboys Association for $2.3 million. Her lawsuit details injuries to her left shoulder, including a bone contusion with a possible fracture, and significant soft tissue damage. Wert also claims she suffered a concussion leading to persistent migraines, dizziness, nausea, post-traumatic stress disorder, emotional distress, and pain and suffering.

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Plaintiff Kristin Wert has suffered, and will continue to suffer in the future, inconvenience and interference with her normal and usual activities as a result of her injuries caused by Party Bus.

According to court documents, Wert alleges she was "violently attacked from behind, bucked into the air, and then trampled by Party Bus" while standing in the concessions area. She asserts that all parties were negligent in failing to maintain a safe environment by not properly securing the arena or controlling the livestock. Wert also questions the suitability of the bull, Party Bus, for release into the arena.

Andrew Wert, Kristin's husband, is also part of the lawsuit, claiming he experienced emotional distress from witnessing his wife's attack. Global News has reached out to the Sisters Rodeo Association for comment but has not yet received a response. Corey & Lange Rodeo Co., which supplied the bull, has reportedly denied liability in court filings.

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all parties were negligent and at fault in failing to maintain a safe environment for attendees of the rodeo by securing the arena area to prevent rodeo livestock from escaping and failing to keep rodeo livestock safely contained and under control in the rodeo arena.