BILL Ericson is one man who really grabs a bull by the horns.
The 29-year-old rodeo clown was gored and trampled by a massive bull, cracking three of his ribs and punching one rib deep into his lung, as he rushed to help another rodeo rider at Mareeba last weekend.
But Mr Ericson, who has been bull riding since he was eight, managed to walk away from the battering and did not realise the extent of his injuries until the following day.
"I guess I was pretty lucky," he told The Weekend Post from his hospital bed.
"But, yeah, he was a big one (and) he had a set of horns on him, all right."
Mr Ericson had rushed to the aid of the bullrider who was having trouble with his mount, grabbing it by the horns during a practice session last Sunday.
The animal quickly turned on Mr Ericson, knocking him to the ground before repeatedly stepping on him.
But amazingly, Mr Ericson got up after the incident, went home and eventually decided to go to Cairns Base Hospital as a precaution on Monday.
Doctors pumped four litres of blood into Mr Ericson and were initially worried he would need emergency surgery to reinflate his lung.
"I grabbed him by the horns and then he must have either shunted me or maybe I lost my footing or something," he said of the attack.
"And then I don't really know what happened.
"But I'd do it again - I went in there to help someone, that's what I'm good at and I help my mates and other bullriders, it's just what you do."
Rodeo clowns or rodeo bullfighters typically operate in groups of two or three to protect the rider after he dismounts or is bucked off by the bull. They distract the animal and give it alternative targets to chase.
While the job involves potentially life-threatening situations, Mr Ericson's mum, Marie, said she was not concerned her son was eager to get back in the ring.
"That's his lifestyle, that's his choice," she said.
"His sister is a bullrider, he does this, but I'm sure there are a lot of worse things they could be doing to themselves."
