The Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Taihape just after 12pm to a man that had been crushed and trampled by a bull.
The man was moving the bull with the assistance of a truck driver when the bull turned on him and crushed him against the rails of the yard and then trampled him. Quick action by the truck driver saw the Bull moved to another pen, keeping the injured man safe.
The man had received serious injuries to his chest, head and back, including fracturing all his ribs on his left side, puncturing his lung, several fractures to his thoracic spine and fractures to his head and face.
He was initially treated on the scene by St John Ambulance. With the assistance of the Emergency Fire Service, the man was relocated to a suitable landing area.
Once the helicopter located the patient, the onboard Intensive Care Paramedic provided life-saving treatment and he was flown to Palmerston North Hospital.