'I awoke in a nightmare': North Carolina mom mourns boy, 14, stomped to death by bull at rodeo
KING, NORTH CAROLINA: A 14-year-old North Carolina boy has reportedly died from cardiac arrest after being flung from a bull that then stomped on his chest at a busy rodeo. Cowboy Denim Bradshaw was participating in a Rafter K Rodeo Company, LLC bull riding event in King, located north of Winston-Salem, when he went into cardiac arrest at about 8:24 pm on Saturday, January 28.
The cardiac arrest happened after Bradshaw fell off the bull before being stomped on in the chest at the event, a spectator told WFMY. Two emergency technicians at the site performed life-saving measures on the young cowboy until first responders from Stokes County arrived at the event. He was immediately rushed to the local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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Reflecting on the heart-breaking event, Bradshaw’s grieving mother Shannon Boston wrote on Facebook, "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... he was loving every second of it I had never seen him so happy as I had seen him last night before his departure," she added. Boston remembered her son’s passion for riding and said, "Denim baby you did it. You did that!! I’m so proud of your bravery and your courage! My lil cowboy I will love and miss you so much and I know God will take care of you.”
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 there to help. We are thankful for our on-site EMTs, paramedics, and law enforcement that work so hard to care for the cowboys.”
Bradshaw is survived by his mother, his father Billy, and his four siblings, Braxton Knight, Triston Knight, Persephone Bowman, and Daylin Scott. A fundraising page has also been set up on behalf of Bradshaw's family for the funeral expenses. The GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $5,000 out of a $15,000 goal.
The saddening death of Bradshaw is the latest in the string of deaths at rodeo events. According to Newsweek, a report published by the Kansas Journal of Medicine stated that it had identified 70 patients who had been injured at rodeo events over 10 years. The study also discovered that rodeo competitors have significant head injuries 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.
