An 86-year-old British man was among those injured during the final bull run of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain, on July 14. The tourist, from Halesowen in the West Midlands, suffered multiple injuries, including a goring to his left elbow and wounds to his eyebrow and right hand. He was rushed to the hospital, becoming the oldest participant to be injured at this year's event.
Another British national, 24-year-old William Mitchinson, was also hospitalized after being knocked down by a bull while attempting to outrun the animals. Mitchinson, who was wearing an ankle brace after leaving Navarra University Hospital, described being trampled by a bull and said he was drawn to the festival by social media. He indicated he might return for the festival's party atmosphere but not for the bull runs.
Officials reported that two other runners sustained goring injuries during the final run. One individual was gored in the chest, and another in the thigh. During one of the runs, a steer separated from the main group and charged a cluster of four men, with one appearing to hit his head on the ground as he fell.
The July 14 run was the eighth consecutive morning of the event, which sees participants run an 850-meter course through Pamplona's old town. Thousands of people attend the week-long festival annually, with foreign nationals, including Britons, often among the injured. Gorings and broken bones are common occurrences during the encierros, partly attributed to a significant number of inexperienced runners and foreign tourists participating alongside local residents.
While gorings are frequent, fatalities are rare. The most recent death at the festival occurred in 2009 when Daniel Jimeno, 27, was gored in the neck. Sixteen people have died in total during the festival's bull runs since records began.
The San Fermin festival, which includes daily bull runs, parades, music, and religious ceremonies, gained international fame following the 1926 publication of Ernest Hemingway's novel "The Sun Also Rises."