Craig Daily Press

Craig — Matt Bohrer is used to it.

As a bull rider for the Moffat County High School rodeo team, he has competed on bulls many times.

He’s had his shares of bumps and bruises while attempting to hang on to 600-pound beasts before.

But, nothing like this.

Bohrer, an MCHS junior, was speared in the throat by a bull horn June 7 while competing in a Little Britches rodeo event in Rifle.

The bull’s horn pierced Bohrer’s trachea (the airway that transports oxygen to the body’s organs), leaving a five-centimeter tear in the back.

Initially, doctors at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction believed the tear to be 3 centimeters in length and that the wound would heal on its own.

Further studies by Dr. Sarah Pereira found the tear to be 5 centimeters, and Bohrer was scheduled for surgery.

He underwent the 3 1/2-hour procedure to repair the torn windpipe Thursday, “without any hitches,” Bohrer’s father, Richard, said by telephone Friday.

“The surgery went smooth,” he said. “It seemed like forever, but Matt is doing well.”

Richard Bohrer said doctors cut an incision into the front of Matt’s trachea to repair the damage in the back.

Reached by phone Friday, Matt said he was “good to talk.”

“It doesn’t hurt right now,” he said.

Matt’s ride in the ring last Saturday began like any other.

Then, the unthinkable — especially for someone in his event — occurred.

Bohrer’s bull bucked its head, catching — and then tearing off — his protective vest.

Bohrer nearly flipped over the bull’s head, but because of his hand being stuck in the tie rope, he remained attached.

The next buck saw Matt’s momentum shift forward, directly into the path of the bull’s horns.

A horn hit Matt’s chin, ricocheting into his throat.

“It was kind of creepy when my vest was torn off,” Matt said. “I got hung up, then swung forward, and he spun back right into me.”

Matt said the injury didn’t seem severe at the onset.

It didn’t hurt, and there was no blood.

But, his voice sounded funny.

“I kept asking him if he was OK on the drive to Grand Junction,” Richard said. “He sounded like he was on laughing gas. It had changed the tone of his voice. And it didn’t change back.”

The Bohrers were staying at a family member’s house overnight.

Matt began to cough up blood and was immediately rushed to the hospital.

He was transferred out of St. Mary’s Intensive Care Unit on Friday and is scheduled to return to Craig on Sunday.

Doctors told Matt he will be 90 percent recovered in three months, but a full recovery could take a year.

“The first thing I asked the doctor was if I could ride in the Fourth of July fair in Craig,” Matt said. “It sucks. I’m anxious to get out of the hospital. I hate being in here.”