Barrier attendant escapes serious injury in Gold Coast trial

A barrier attendant is counting his lucky stars after escaping serious injury when trampled by a field of horses in a trial at the Gold Coast.

The barrier attendant (circled) as the field jumps for the trial. Picture: Facebook

A barrier attendant is counting his lucky stars after escaping serious injury when trampled by a field of horses in a 900m trial at the Gold Coast on Tuesday.

The field of seven runners were in the barriers, set to jump, when attendant Jason Cullen knelt down in front of the stalls, with the racecaller suggesting a rider may have dropped a whip, in which Cullen was attempting to retrieve.

In heart-stopping scenes seconds later, the field was dispatched and Cullen was ran over the top of by runners, while on all fours in front of the gates.

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Remarkably, Cullen, who took to social media this morning, escaped serious injury, and he’s clearly a tough cookie, finishing his shift at the trials despite a sore back.

“I’m all good guys, just a sore back! I’m still here working,” Cullen stated on a video of the incident posted by former jockey Kristy Banks on Facebook.

Whether or not the gates were nudged open, or it was simply a case of miscommunication between attendants, it’s safe to say all involved avoided a potentially devastating situation.

Originally published as Barrier attendant escapes serious injury in Gold Coast trial