14-Year-Old Boy Slips Into Cardiac Arrest And Dies After Fall During Rodeo

A North Carolina teenager died after a bout of bull riding for the first time at a rodeo. The accident that led to the tragic death occurred at the Rafter K. Rodeo in the city of King.

The incident occurred Saturday night, when the 14-year-old, identified as Denim Lucas Bradshaw, was knocked to the floor by the bull he was riding shortly after the doors opened, a witness revealed. The animal then stomped on the teen's chest immediately after the fall, sending him into cardiac arrest, NYPost reported.

Trigger warning: The following video may be disturbing for some. Viewer discretion is advised.

The rodeo company which has been in the business since 2007 issued a statement following the boy's death.

"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 EMT's, 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 in this difficult time," the statement read in part.

The deceased boy is survived by his parents Shannon Bowman and Billy Bradshaw, and siblings Braxton and Tristan Knight, Persephone Bowman, and Daylin Scott.

"He was a son, a brother, a cousin, an uncle, and a friend to all who were lucky enough to know him," read a tribute dedicated to him.

Denim's mother Shannon posted a tribute message for him on Facebook, in which she requested the presence of an EMT on-site for this particular sport. "For the sake of your bull riding friends there really should be emt on site in this sport! That ride was a little to(sic) long," Bowman's statement read in part.

A GoFundMe campaign was started by the victim's sister to help with funeral expenses. It surpassed its initial limit of $15,000, with almost $20,000 having been raised with contributions from 476 donors, at the time of writing.

In another recent incident surrounding the sport, a 56-year-old woman who was thrown off her horse at a rodeo in Florida died earlier this month. The incident occurred at the Baker Area Community Center, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. The woman reportedly hit a wooden pole after the fall, leading to critical injuries that resulted in her death.