Sometimes people will exaggerate when they say, "I'm lucky to be alive right now." When it comes to bull rider Zach Naegele, however, he's not kidding if he says that phrase. Last Friday, Naegele was competing at the Conley Invitational Bull Ride in Palmetto when the bull's

Bull rider Zach Naegele, 24, has said he's "blessed to be alive" after he took a horn 'straight to the neck' and lost 'two gallons of blood' in a 'freak accident' in Florida on Feb. 7

According to Naegele, the bull’s horn managed to slip under his helmet, and went in and out of his neck, leaving a gory hole. At first, the bull rider believed that the bull had only scratched his face until he saw the blood gushing from his neck.

Hundreds of spectators looked on as Zachary Naegel was 'busted' off his animal at the Conley Invitation Bull Riding competition in Palmetto, Florida, USA, on 7 February. The 24-year-old made the 11-hour trek from his home in Amity, Louisiana, to take part in the competition and was left with life-threatening injuries.

In rodeo, horn tipping is standard practice — meaning the bulls’ horns are blunted to lessen, but not eliminate, the chances of riders getting gored. However, that didn’t stop this “freak” accident from occurring.

A professional rodeo rider in Florida almost bled to death when he was impaled in the neck by a bull horn in front of hundreds of horrified spectators after his steed threw him off