Boy, 17, fighting for his life after being crushed by bull in horror attack at rodeo

Walker 'Hollywood' Smith, the 17-year-old Junior Bull Riding Champion of the Year 2022, was near successful a captious information aft a bull stepped connected his thorax during a rodeo

A 17-year-old bull riding champion is clinging to beingness aft a horrific mishap astatine a rodeo.

Walker 'Hollywood' Smith, the Junior Bull Riding Champion of the Year 2022, was critically injured erstwhile a rampaging bull trampled connected his thorax connected November 15 during an lawsuit successful South Florida. He was airlifted to infirmary successful a life-threatening condition.

In a heart-wrenching interrogation with Fox5, his mum Sabrina Smith said: "The archetypal telephone telephone was helium had been kicked by the bull successful his thorax and they were going to person him looked astatine by the EMTs. Just a abbreviated portion later, I received different telephone telephone that helium was being life-flighted."

A Facebook update from Walker's ain illustration painted a grim picture; upon infirmary arrival, his oxygen levels were perilously debased astatine astir 70, some lungs had collapsed, and determination was bleeding connected the brain.

His dad, Danny Smith, expressed to the Tallahassee Democrat the gravity of his son's situation.

He said: "We are present and Walker is warring for his life. He goes into country [Thursday] greeting for a tracheotomy and feeding tube. He has tubes successful some lungs and close present helium is connected the ventilator. Still not moving his arms and legs. But making improvements each day.

"Small victories each time pb to large victories," helium said. Compounding the injuries, Walker has besides sustained respective insignificant strokes, reports the Daily Star.

"I'm not handling thing well. I'm not. Usually, I'm the 1 that's telling everybody it's OK. I'm the 1 that's, but I'm not doing well," his begetter tearfully admitted.

"You archer everybody, 'Hey, it's each going to beryllium each right' and past you judge successful your bosom that it's going to beryllium each right. Well, erstwhile you get alone, you conscionable cognize erstwhile your champion person is... I can't speak," helium added.

Girlfriend Talor Heidt of Bainbridge, Georgia, has been a changeless beingness astatine the hospital. She said: "He is astir apt 1 of the astir kindest, delicate persons I've ever met. He has specified a brushed heart."

Walker archetypal took an involvement successful the high-risk athletics astatine the property of 12 and began grooming connected a miniature bull. He besides has a 26 twelvemonth aged member and a 13 twelvemonth aged younger sister.