Although injuries from mechanical bulls are relatively rare, there are a variety of ways that a person can be injured while riding a mechanical bull. These injuries can be caused by falling on the ground, striking the bull or getting caught on it, or injuries caused by the bucking motion. In 2003 a 28-year-old man was paralyzed after being thrown from a mechanical bull at a county fair. He sued for $50 million in damages claiming that the ride was deceptive because there was no warning about the steel frame underneath the pad that the man struck when he was thrown from the bull. Because of the risk of injury many venues require varying levels of insurance coverage to keep themselves protected. There are also very few insurance companies that will insure mechanical bulls because of the risk involved.
