Young rider dies after he’s thrown off bull at rodeo event, NC officials say. ‘Tragic’
A young rider died after he fell off a bull at a rodeo event in North Carolina, news outlets reported.
Amanda Paquette told WFMY she was watching the competition near Winston-Salem when she saw a boy riding a bull. The bull bucked twice, throwing the boy to the ground before the animal stepped on his chest, she said.
“This is a tragic event and words cannot describe the pain felt by this loss,” Rafter K Rodeo Company wrote Jan. 29 in a Facebook post. “We ask everyone to come together and pray for his family for comfort and healing in this difficult time.”
Stokes County Emergency Services in a statement said it was called to a report of someone receiving CPR at an event venue on South Main Street in King, roughly 15 miles northwest of downtown Winston-Salem. First responders arrived at about 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 to see firefighters helping a 14-year-old, according to the Winston-Salem Journal and other news outlets.
“He was one of the participants when this happened,” Brandon Gentry, emergency management director, told the newspaper. “He was riding a bull and was thrown off.”
The young rider was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, WXII reported.
“Our sport is truly a family and we are so thankful for everyone that was there to help,” the rodeo wrote in its Facebook post. “We are thankful for our on site EMTs, paramedics and law enforcement that work so hard to care for the cowboys.”
Paquette told WFMY she felt sympathy after the boy’s death, saying his mom had “no idea that the next day her son wasn’t going to be there with her.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2023 at 9:31 AM with the headline "Young rider dies after he’s thrown off bull at rodeo event, NC officials say. ‘Tragic’."
