'He Was Truly the Best': Grandfather of 7 Dead After Being Mauled by Bull While Repairing Fence

Family and friends of Brian Oliver are mourning the death of the avid outdoorsman, who died after being mauled by a bull.

The 54-year-old man from Blacksburg, South Carolina, was working with a friend to repair a fence post at a farm when a bull charged and dragged him to a nearby creek where he was “stomped and mauled” on Saturday, April 28, Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said in a news release obtained by PEOPLE.

CBS affiliate WSPA-TV identified the friend as Mike Carroll, and said the man stabbed the bull with a knife in order to get the animal to turn its attention away from Oliver.

The bull then attacked Carroll, who was later airlifted to a hospital in Lancaster where he is recovering, Fowler said.

Oliver, a father of two and grandfather of seven, experienced “extreme” injuries as a result of the attack, including two collapsed lungs, broken ribs, broken shoulder bones, a broken neck and multiple spinal fractures, his family said in a GoFundMe.

After three days in the ICU at Spartanburg M -

John Leguizamo Says He Regrets Turning D,...

edical Center, Oliver died on May 2 surrounded by family, his daughter Cheyenne Oliver said in a message on the fundraising page.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Now, loved ones are mourning the loss of the patriarch who dedicated his life to his family.

“Not only am I heartbroken for my sister & I to lose our dad early in life,I’m even more heartbroken our children are losing their pawpaw,” Oliver’s other daughter, Megan Danielle Hughes, wrote on Facebook. “Our kids were his entire world, and they all loved each other so, so much. He was truly the best pawpaw to them you could ever have imagined.”

Funeral arrangements, set for Hopewell Baptist Church in Blacksburg, are still being finalized.

An autopsy will be performed to assist with his investigation of the tragic incident, Fowler said.

Related Articles

Follow Us

Michael C. Hall to Return for ‘Res,...