KING, N.C. — Quin Moran was at Rafter K Rodeo Saturday doing what he loves.
He was the bullfighter in the arena when a 14-year-old bull rider Denim Bradshaw was bucked off and died.
Moran said when the boy fell to the ground, the bull's hind legs stomped down on the boy's chest.
"My job is to be there when the cowboy falls off, to distract the bull and bring him away from the rider, and that's what I did, and as I said, it's just the way he came off, he came off right underneath that bull and as a bullfighter, I can control their head and their horns. I can't control their feet," said Moran.
The rodeo accident had several people wondering if kids should be able to enter into such risky contests.
The North Carolina Youth Rodeo Association says it's no different than any other dangerous sport; they all come with a certain risk.
"I feel like people are, you know, why did you put your child on a bull? And I could ask the same, why did you put your kid on a dirt bike or let them play football? It's just something that drives," said Ashley Galliher with the association.
Moran said the rodeo is more than just a sport, it's a lifestyle. He explained the event allows people to carry on the tradition and cowboy way of life.
"People call us crazy, and I don't think we're crazy, I think a lot of us have grown up around it, and it's tradition and we all just want to grow up and be cowboys and that's what we're trying to do at the end of the day everyone's chasing a dream, and this is just ours," said Moran.
The association also says rodeos do their best to put younger kids on the smaller stock during contests.
"We try our best and I know they do as well to put the appropriate stock with the appropriate age. We don't want to see a 14-year-old or any child any age step on something that a pro rider should be riding," said Galliher.
For people who have a heart for rodeo, the association encourages those who are interested to do some research and start training early.
They said while accidents like these don't happen often, it's not a matter of if someone gets hurt but when.
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