A teenage boy died after he was thrown from a bull that then trampled on him at a North Carolina rodeo.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Stokes County were alerted to reports of a cardiac arrest at a Rafter K Rodeo Company LLC event in King at about 8:24 p.m. on Saturday, January 28.
Despite two EMTs performing life-saving measures at the scene, the teenager was taken to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead, according to Fox 8.
The victim, named by family as Denim Bradshaw, 14, reportedly fell from a bull at the event before it crushed him.
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Shaun Renn said in a Sunday Facebook post: “Well my mother just called and my little nephew then I wanted to go for the bull riding contest and he fell off and then the bull came and crushed him and he just passed away rest in peace denim Bradshaw I’m so sorry it happened to you you’re too young.”
A Rafter K Rodeo Company, LLC spokesperson said in a post uploaded to Facebook on Sunday: “Everyone here at Rafter K Rodeo Company, LLC would like to give our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the bull rider, Denim Bradshaw.
“Our sport is truly a family and we are so thankful for everyone that was there to help. We are thankful for our on-site EMTs, paramedics, and law enforcement that work so hard to care for the cowboys.
“This is a tragic event and words cannot describe the pain felt by this loss. We ask everyone to come together and pray for his family for comfort and healing inhis difficult time.”
The Sauratown Trailblazers Horse Club said in a Sunday, January 29, Facebook post: “The Sauratown Trailblazers send their condolences and prayers for the family and friends of Denim Bradshaw, the 14-year-old bull rider who lost his life last night at the rodeo in King.
“We also are thinking of the people who were there and saw it, along with the first responders who did their best to help.”
Rodeo Injuries
A June 2022 study published in the Kansas Journal of Medicine stated it had identified 70 patients who had been injured at rodeo events over a 10-year period.
It added: “Half were injured by direct contact with rodeo stock and 34 by falls. Head injuries were most common, occurring in 38 (54.3 percent). Twenty injuries (28.6 percent) required surgery. Sixty-nine patients (98.6 percent) were discharged to home. There was one death.”
The study also found serious head injuries occur in rodeo athletes at a rate of up to 15 per 1,000 rides. In comparison, the study stated professional football players suffer serious head injuries at a rate of 5.8 per 100,000 players.
A GoFundMe campaign has been arranged on behalf of Bradshaw’s family following his death.
The campaign, organized by Persephone Bowman, said: “He got to ride his first bull on January 28th, and his excitement was palatable. None of us could believe that this first ride would cause his death, and we are beyond devastated. Our sweet 14-year-old boy lost his life during what was the most exciting moment of his short life, and we are now lost without him.
“Denim always had a sparkle in his eye and a smile on his face lighting up every room he walked into. He had dreams of becoming an officer with his dog Aphora. To know Denim was to love him.”
Since being set up on Sunday, the GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $5,000 out of a $15,000 goal.
Bradshaw is survived by his mother, Shannon Bowman, his father Billy as well as his siblings, Braxton Knight, Triston Knight, Persephone Bowman and Daylin Scott.
Newsweek has contacted Bradshaw’s family and the Stokes County EMS for comment.
