Southeast Missouri man severely injured by fighting bulls

A Harviell, Missouri, man who was injured by two bulls on his property last week is making gradual steps forward, but remained on a ventilator at a St. Louis hospital as of Saturday, according to family.

Bob Newcomb sustained 16 broken ribs, a collapsed lung and two fractured vertebrae during the incident Aug. 10 at his home on County Road 359.

Newcomb, who turns 75 today, has been conscious and able to acknowledge family, but unable to speak because of a ventilator, his daughter Laura Hagood said Saturday. Newcomb is being treated at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Her father was able to breathe on his own for 30 minutes Saturday, which has been encouraging, she said.

�We�ve kind of been at a stand still, but we have made some gradual positive outcomes over the last few days. It�s been kind of like inchworms, not baby steps,� Hagood said. �We�ve got to have a lot of patience right now.�

Doctors have said recovery could take a year.

Family members are staying by his side 24-hours a day and have received tremendous support from not only their community, but across the country, she said.

�We�ve got a lot of people praying for him. We know he wouldn�t be here today if it wasn�t for God�s grace,� she said. �We just need people to continue to pray for him. ... We�ve just got to keep faith that God�s going to heal him.�

At home, neighbors and friends have helped by taking care of family members� homes, mowing the yards and checking in on animals, Hagood said.

Newcomb has lived in the Neelyville, Missouri, area since his senior year of high school, when he met his wife of 53 years, Rose Ann. He and his wife operate Newcomb Bucking Bulls with their son, Jason, and his wife, Jessica.

Newcomb was attempting to load two bulls onto a trailer for transport when he was injured.

Neither bull has ever been a problem separately, Hagood said, but when paired together on the trailer, they started to fight.

Newcomb was closing a partition on the trailer when one of the bulls kicked the partition and knocked the man to the ground.

�That gate came open and the bulls came out on top of him in a very confined area,� Hagood said. �They just continued their fight on top of him. One of them weighed about 2,200 pounds.�

His wife was able to chase the bulls away, according to family.

A GoFundMe account has been established to help the family with expenses, and an account has also been opened at the Bank of Grandin in Harviell.