A 14-year-old from North Carolina has tragically died after a bull he had been riding at a rodeo in King, North Carolina stepped on his chest. The incident happened at around 8pm on Saturday evening, during a winter series event sponsored by the Rafter K Rodeo Company. Reports suggest that the bull bucked twice before Denim Bradshaw, the teen victim, was thrown to the ground. Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) who were present at the scene began life-saving measures until first responders arrived and transported Denim to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, where he passed away later that night.
William Cooper, a veteran bull rider who had experienced a similar situation at a previous event and had witnessed Denim’s ride, believes that the boy would not have had the time to save himself. He commented: “The way he come off too and everything, I don’t know if he had time to move out of the way or not. It slammed him to the ground like I was. I didn’t have time to roll over or nothing. It just slammed me down to the ground hard.”
Denim’s mother, Shannon Bowman, shared the devastating news of her son’s death on Facebook. She wrote: “Last night was the longest night of my life!! My beautiful handsome 14 year old son had went to be with the lord! I awoke in a nightmare for the rest of my life! I hate myself for this call but he was loving every second of it I never seen him so happy as I had seen him last night before his departure.
“Denim baby you did it!! You did that!! I’m so proud of your braveness and your courage! My lil cowboy I will love and miss you so much and I know God will take care of you.”
Rafter K Rodeo also released a statement expressing their appreciation for the first responders and asking for prayers for Denim’s family: “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 in this difficult time.”
Before being allowed to take part in the rodeo, all participants, both adults and minors, must sign a consent form which acknowledges the risks associated with the sport. For minors, the form must also be signed and notarized by a parent.