A raging bull stomped on the chest of a teenage rodeo star during an event in Florida – leaving the champion rider fighting for his life as he suffers a brain bleed and mini strokes.
Walker ‘Hollywood’ Smith, 17, was taking part in the Space Coast State Fair in Viera on Friday when he was thrown off the beast following a three-second ride.
While laying in the dirt of the rodeo ring, the more than 1,700-pound bucking bull stepped on the left side of chest – with the teen airlifted to a Melbourne hospital in critical condition after his oxygen levels dropped, according to the family and local news outlets.
“I’m not handling anything well. I’m not,” his father, Danny Smith, who also participated in the rodeo circuit for nearly two decades, told WCTV News.
“Usually, I’m the one that’s telling everybody it’s ok.”
The situation took a turn for the worse at Holmes Regional Medical Center as doctors discovered the competitive bull rider’s lungs collapsed, he had bleeding on the brain and was experiencing mini strokes, according to a post on his Facebook page.
Smith, who was named the Junior Bull Riding Champion of the Year in 2022, was eventually placed on a ventilator, had tubes inserted in his chest, and remains unable to move his arms and legs.
“Walker is fighting for his life,” his father told the Tallahassee Democrat, adding that his son will undergo tracheotomy surgery this week for a feeding tube.
“I feel helpless because there’s nothing I can do for him,” his mother, Sabrina Smith told WCTV News.
The parents said their son – who has been bull riding since he was 12 – has experienced injuries over the years but never anything life-threatening, noting that he’s making small improvements every day.
“Small victories every day lead to big victories,” his hopeful father said.
A GoFundMe page was set up by family friends following the tragic accident to help the Smith’s pay for food and shelter as they remain at their son’s bedside.
The fundraiser has since raised more than $5,000.
“People we don’t even know have been reaching out to us. It’s overwhelming,” Smith’s father said.
“You know, you try your best to raise your kid right and to have people reach out to you that you don’t even know, you understand that your kid is loved.”