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EXCLUSIVE: Teen Trainer Injured At Yuba-Sutter Fair Has Kind Words For Wayward Steer

YUBA CITY (CBS13) — A steer spooked during a livestock show at the Yuba-Sutter fair sends his teen handler to the hospital.

CBS13's Steve Large talked to the teen in an exclusive interview.

It's a knockdown that shows how tough this teen is.

"I have a deep-bruised shoulder."

His arm in a sling, his legs in a brace, but Carlos Ortiz's heart is full of forgiveness after is 1,200-pound steer basically body-slammed him.

"He reared up and put his two front feet on my shoulders, and came down on me."

Something spooked the steer, named Buddy, at this Yuba-Sutter Fair livestock show. It sent the steer's hooves high in the air, and quickly on top of Ortiz.

"He was leaning toward me—his owner that he's been clinging to for nine months straight."

The fair CEO says first responders were the livestock handlers and parents around the pen.

"It just tells me that I have an awesome group of people here, and I want to make sure they get commended for that."

A 9-year-old boy was also knocked back in the chaos. Ortiz says he tried to keep the animal away from the child as best he could.

"If I would have let the steer continue to push me, it would have been a lot worse, and he would have been a lot more hurt."

The child was checked out at a hospital and released.

Ortiz says he came back to the fair after getting treated at a hospital to send a message about his school's Future Farmers of America program.

"Don't let what happened today reflect on Yuba City High School and the FFA program, 4-H. And animals all do this."

A teen and his steer. If there was a rift, it's clearly repaired.

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