Richard Wayde Hamar, 12, Young Bull Rider, Dies at Boulder County Rodeo After Bull Steps on Him

Richard Wayde Hamar, Dies after Bull Steps on Him

(Denver Channel)

Richard Wayde Hamar, 12, of Yuma, Colorado, died after being injured during a bull ride at the Boulder County Fairgrounds on Sunday morning. Boulder sheriff spokesman Sgt. Mike Dimond said Hamar was competing in the Little Britches Rodeo, a two-day event at the fairgrounds. He was a junior bull rider competitor. It seems that 12 years old is awfully too young to become a bull rider, considering the potential injuries that could be sustained.

"He was riding, he was bucked off and stepped on by the bull shortly after being bucked off," said Dimond. "It was just a fluke accident." He said the boy was wearing a helmet and a protective vest at the time but the bull stepped on his stomach. Paramedics began first aid on Hamar, who was then transported to Longmont United Hospital, where he later died. The accident happened about 11 a.m. and the boy's parents were attending.

Dimond said Hamar wasn't riding a full-grown, 2,000-pound bull. He said there are injuries at the fairgrounds from time to time, but he couldn't remember a child being stepped on by a bull before.

"I'm concerned for this family and their loss, but its inherent to the sport and people go into that knowing it could happen on any given ride," he said. Hamar was the son of Mitch and Angie Hamar, of Yuma. He attended Lone Star School and would have been in the seventh grade this fall. Source: The Denver Channel

The parents said that this was their son's first year in Little Bridges and that he had six years of experience. The family are ranchers in eastern Colorado but "spend time with the kids at rodeos and team roping with his dad, Mitch, and 10-year-old brother, Zach. Zach and Wayde had qualified for the National Little Britches finals in team roping and ribbon roping," the parents said in a newly released statement.

I am pretty sure that this tragedy is a rare occurrence, but what age is too young to get involved with this activity? Quite frankly, I think the boy was way too young to be competing in any sport that could potentially be deadly. This isn't the same as falling off a bicycle or a skateboard. Every sport has some danger attached to it, but this is far more serious.