Brooke Ann Coats

Brooke Ann Coats Bull-Riding Death: Another Reason Rodeos Are Wrong

Friday evening 16-year-old Brooke Ann Coats was competing in a rodeo in Tampa, Florida. During the bull-riding competition she was thrown, and the animal kicked her in the chest. She managed to get up and walk out of the arena, but 90 minutes later she was dead.

The images of the vibrant teenage and news of her senseless death are heartbreaking. I think of her parents who gave her permission to participate in this dangerous sport, and are now going to have to live with their guilt and without their daughter for the rest of their lives. If there is any good to come from this tragic event it has to be to highlight the real dangers of this cruel and unpredictable sport, and perhaps save others from a similar fate. ( Read Brooke Ann Coats more... )

Brooke Ann Coats dies after being kicked in the chest by bull

A 16-year-old bull rider died after being kicked in the chest by the animal, authorities confirmed on Saturday.

The accident occurred around 8:30 p.m. Friday at 301 Rodeo on U.S. 301 in Tampa.

Reports say Brooke Ann Coats was riding the bull when she was thrown then kicked in the chest by the animal. She was able to get up and walk out of the ring, but moments later she had trouble breathing then she collapsed.

The teenager was treated at the scene by an off-duty paramedic until EMT arrived. She was later taken to Tampa General Hospital, where she later died. ( Read Brooke Ann Coats more... )

Riverview teenager Brooke Coats dies after bull riding accident

RIVERVIEW — A dirt patch off the highway, under bright lights with a rowdy crowd looking on, was Brooke Coats' favorite place.

It was where she got her biggest adrenaline rush, where she felt most alive. It was where, for a few minutes every other Friday, the 16-year-old who posed for pictures in cowgirl hats and liked big Chevy trucks was the star.

"She died doing exactly what she wanted to do," Coats' best friend, 17-year-old Autumn Lewis, said Saturday. "It's just what she loved." ( Read Brooke Ann Coats more... )

Courtesy : The Stir , The Original Greenwich Diva & Tampa Bay