The rodeo community comes together to help one of their own after a bull riding accident

WEST, Texas (KWTX) – A Western native is currently in the hospital making a miraculous recovery after being trampled by a bull while helping out at a rodeo last weekend.

Austin Patterson grew up in rodeos and has always loved riding bulls, doing it most of his life.

According to his fiancee Megan Schoonmaker, Austin had a bull riding accident in 2019 that broke his neck, ending his bull riding career.

“The doctors pretty much told him that if he got on the bull again and fell, even slightly wrong, it would paralyze him or kill him,” she explained.

But that hasn’t stopped him from doing what he loves… now raising and training bulls and helping other riders.

Sonny Barthold, a good friend of Austin’s in the bull riding community, says, “He’s one of those bull deal guys who always helps out at all of our events.”

Which is what he was doing last Saturday when things suddenly took a turn for the worse.

“We really just went to have a look, but Austin, being Austin of course, you know, saw that they were trying to get the bull into the lead and felt like he needed to jump, and so he jumped and… it kind of went south from there,” – shared Schoonmaker.

Cody and Heather South, who had known Austin for years, shared what he told them when they finally got to see him after the accident.

“He just stepped and slipped and the bull just went over him, you know once you get under one, it’s hard to get out,” Cody South said.

Schoonmaker and another friend rushed him to the hospital, later learning that he had broken 5 ribs, a sternum and pelvis, a collapsed lung and a lacerated liver.

“You know, talking to Austin, he said he’s never felt like he was going to die before, and he felt like he was that night, which is really, really scary,” she recalled.

But thanks to doctors and the support of family and friends, Austin made an incredible recovery.

Cody South shared that “I had to go check on him and … pick him up and get him walking.” And as soon as he leaves the hospital, he will go straight to the altar.

According to Schoonmaker, “the first thing he said to us in the emergency room when they wanted to transfer him to intensive care was that I can’t go up there, I have a wedding on Saturday.”

However, Austin still has a long way to go, so Barthold decided to start an Austin Patterson Charity Auction on his Facebook for bull animals.

“He’s not going to work as much as he’s used to and you know we want his bills to catch up for him,” Barthold said. “We have such a strong group of people that … they are ready, so we are ready to help him.”

He says they’ve already raised over $60,000 and are now in their third and final round, which ends tomorrow at 8pm.

You can click here go to his page. Barthold says they have 4 world champion bulls in the auction, including the western bred “Big Bank” bull by Pistol Robinson.

“I have told Sonny several times that there really are no words to describe how grateful and appreciative we are,” shared Austin’s bride and wife.

There is also a Go Fund Me created for Austin to help support him while he focuses on his recovery.