The thrills and spills of the Tabulam Rodeo were interrupted on Saturday when a young girl fell off the bull she was riding and it trampled her.

The 13-year-old received chest injuries when she fell onto the ground and was trampled at about 8pm at Tabulam Racecourse.

She was able to walk out of the ring with assistance and was treated at the scene by rodeo paramedics.

NSW Ambulance paramedics arrived 20 minutes later and treated the girl before she was airlifted a short time later by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter to Lismore Base Hospital.

She was in a stable condition.

The [Richmond River] Independent’s sports photographer Daniel Cohen was at the rodeo and witnessed the fall.

“She clearly received an injury from the bull but walked assisted from the arena. The medics were called in to attend with what I would call moderate urgency,” Daniel said.

The rodeo was run by the National Rodeo Association based in Brisbane.

When contacted, they said they still didn’t have the paperwork from the incident so could not comment on what happened.

They did confirm that the girl was out of hospital and had a fractured rib.

This article appeared in the Richmond River Independent, 16 June 2021.