Inspection Detail

Inspection: 302756564 - P & H Cattle Company Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Wichita Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 4:30 p.m. on October 22, 1999, Employee #1 was handling cattle in a cattle auction facility. The basic process involves the movement of cattle through a series of cattle pens, gates and alleyways. As it comes time to auction an animal, the "penners" release the animal(s) from a containment pen, into an alleyway that leads to the auction barn. Once the animal has been auctioned off, the animal is released through the auction barn into the pen area. Once back in the pen area, workers will open a gate to a pen and allow the animal to enter and then close the pen where the animal will stay until the auction is complete. In other cases, the animal will be allowed to follow a series of alleyways leading to pens and are generally herded or followed until they finally reach the desired pen. On the day of the accident, a steer came out of the auction barn to the area where workers on horseback were waiting. The steer started to head to the west alleyway and suddenly turned and attacked one of the horses. After the initial contact the steer again proceeded towards the west alleyway followed by the horse with rider. The steer then turned again and came back after the horse and rider, getting up under the horse ultimately upsetting and throwing the rider from his horse. After throwing the rider, the horse took off towards the west alleyway with the steer in pursuit. Employee #1, seeing the horse coming his way, began to open the gate he was standing next to, to allow the horse to pass through in an attempt to separate the riled horse from the steer. Before the gate could be fully opened, the horse ran into the gate forcing the gate back into Employee #1 who was struck in the head by the gate. Employee #1 was knocked to the ground. The steer then quit chasing the horse and was able to be penned up by coworkers. Employee #1 sustained blunt cranial trauma and was transported to hospital where he died a few hours later.

Keywords: FRACTURE, HEAD, HORSE, ANIMAL HANDLER, STRUCK BY