Tomás Angulo in intensive care after bull goring leaves 'very grave' femoral artery injury at Copa Chenel
Spanish bullfighter Tomás Angulo is in intensive care after a dramatic goring during the Copa Chenel in Moralzarzal left him with a 7 cm contusion to the femoral artery and extensive muscle damage, doctors said.
The goring
Tomás Angulo, a matador from Almendralejo in Extremadura, was caught by the second bull of the afternoon on Saturday in the Madrid town of Moralzarzal. The animal, from the Valdefresno ranch, hooked him twice while he was working with the muleta. Despite a violent first impact, Angulo stayed in the ring and was thrown again near the end of the lidia, leaving the sand with blood from scalp and facial wounds and heavy bleeding from his left thigh.
Extent of the injuries
The official medical report, signed by chief surgeon Enrique Crespo, detailed three distinct horn trajectories in the left leg. A 20 cm upwards gash in the anterior thigh affected approximately 7 cm of the femoral artery. A second, outward trajectory of 15 cm tore the sartorius, vastus internus and adductor major muscles. The most dangerous wound was a 25 cm ascending track in the posterior thigh that reached the ischium bone and severely damaged the biceps semimembranosus, striking the femur. Angulo also suffered a right hemithorax contusion, scalp and facial cuts, and a blunt horn strike to the back of the right thigh. The prognosis was listed as “very grave.”
Surgery and immediate condition
The bullfighter underwent nearly two hours of emergency surgery in the plaza’s mobile ICU.
Crespo told ABC. Angulo emerged conscious, with a good pulse in the injured leg, and was transferred to the Hospital General de Collado Villalba. By Sunday morning he remained awake, had no fever, and the four surgical drains showed hardly any staining.We spent nearly two hours operating on him because he had two very extensive trajectories in the left thigh, with a lot of muscle damage,
- Gored by second bull during Copa Chenel in Moralzarzal; underwent almost 2-hour surgery at plaza ICU; transferred to Collado Villalba hospital in stable condition, conscious with good pulse.
- Awake and stable; no fever, pain controlled; vascular examination scheduled to check for thrombus or arterial spasm.
Critical monitoring
The main concern is the contusion on the femoral artery. Crespo warned that even without a full rupture, a clot or arterial spasm could still develop within the first 48 hours.
he said, adding that a vascular examination would be repeated on Sunday. Infection is a secondary but real threat because the wounds were contaminated by the arena soil. The surgeon noted that if no infection appears within five or six days, it is unlikely after the first week.If a thrombus or arterial spasm does not appear within the first 48 hours, it is very rare for one to occur afterwards,
The day's competition
The Copa Chenel fiesta was overshadowed by the grave accident. Javier Cortés cut an ear from the first bull, an albahío from Aurelio Hernando, and later dispatched the bull that injured Angulo. Alejandro Chicharro, who stepped in to kill the animal for his fallen colleague, also claimed an ear, while the remaining bulls offered limited substance.
