Northwest Rogers County Fire Protection District and OTEMS Paramedics were called to a horseback riding accident that occurred during setup for a performance last night of the Cowboy Country Fellowship Rodeo north of Talala.
According to initial reports, the rider, a woman in her late 40s, was critically injured when her horse reared up and fell directly on top of her during preparations for the event.
Officials said the woman was working to break in a new horse when the accident occurred.
Paramedics treated her on the scene and determined that she needed to be transported by air ambulance to a major trauma center hospital in Tulsa and called Life Flight because of the distance and severity of the injuries.
Life Flight arrived at the scene about 6:50 p.m. and lifted off to take the patient to St. John Medical Center in Tulsa just after 7:15 p.m.
The accident occurred at a rural location two miles north of Talala on US 169 as the Cowboy Country Fellowship Rodeo was making preparations to begin its scheduled second night.
The accident happened between the sanctuary of the church, which is in a converted barn, and the rodeo arena on land previously known locally for many years as the Logsdon Ranch.