TUSCON, Ariz. – A Utah bull rider broke his neck during a competition Sunday, but if you ask him, he still had a good ride.
Tim Bingham, a member of the ProRodeo Cowboys Association since 2011, was riding in La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros in Tuscon when he said he lost control of his dismount and fell directly on his head, folding over his neck.
“I could tell as soon as I rolled out of it. I got to my feet and it was pain coming from the top of my head straight down my neck and down both shoulders, all the way to my arms,” Bingham said.
Doctors said Bingham broke his C3 and C4 vertebrae in the fall, but Bingham said he is still lucky. The Honeyville native is grateful the accident didn’t end in paralysis or death.
And this isn’t the first time Bingham has had a close call.
Nine years ago, Bingham said he broke his C6 vertebra, but he also said he’s not focused on the past now.
“What was done was done,” he said. “There’s no fixing it, so [it’s] just about moving on.”
Bingham’s focus now is getting back on a bull, which he expects he’ll be able to do in about six months.