Bull-run death leads to family compensation claim for €400,000

The 36-year-old man entered the street outside the safety barriers at the festival in honour of the patron saint, Sant Xotxim, in Vilavella in the summer of 2016.

He tripped over and was gored so badly that his injuries caused nearly instant death.

Other members of the public in the street at the time were also caught unawares, some suffering minor wounds but most escaping unharmed.

The man's parents and other relatives say security measures at the event were deficient and directly caused the accident.

And the town council is legally responsible for any loss, damage, injury or death at its public events, even though most fiesta acts such as bull-runs, discos and concerts are organised and funded by outside companies, and parades are financed and arranged by subscribing fiesta club members, which anyone – even residents from other towns – are welcome to join.

Vilavella council, however, says safety barriers were in place and fully checked, and that all security requirements stipulated in its fiesta bye-laws were adhered to.

These include not allowing access to the bulls' area of the street to under-18s or anyone 'not in full control of their faculties', such as the disabled or anyone who has consumed alcohol.

Seats and tables are not permitted on either side of the barriers, nor any other fixed or moveable object which could hinder the event or compromise safety.

The council says it did everything in its power to ensure public safety and hopes the compensation order will not be upheld by a judge when the case goes to court.

“This sum claimed - €400,000 – is a third of our town budget for the entire year,” said a spokesperson from the local authority.

Bull-runs – where young heifers and bullocks and, sometimes, full grown bovine of either sex – are released into the street continue to be a major feature of many local fiestas, especially in summer, and although safety barriers line the pavements, members of the public are free to enter the bull's 'territory' at their own risk and try to dodge them or torear them with flapping T-shirts, hand-waving and jumping around.

The bulls are not maimed or killed – although every year at least one human is maimed at one fiesta or another – but animal-lovers believe the events are stressful for the animals and can lead to exhaustion, overheating and heart attacks.

Some say they would support bull-runs which do not allow humans near the animals, since the stress would be reduced, and bulls are generally used to crowds – plus, charging around after moving objects is what they do best and how they behave naturally in the wild - but unless they are used for spectacles like this, they would be killed for meat almost from birth as they have no other 'purpose'.