IOLA, Kan. (AP) A bull rider who suffered fatal injuries at a rodeo in southeastern Kansas has been identified as a 22-year-old Missouri man.
The Iola Register reports that Justin Jeffries died at a hospital after being bucked by a 1,700-pound bull Saturday at the Allen County Fair Rodeo.
Jeffries was a resident of the west-central Missouri town of Cole Camp.
Authorities said Jeffries was wearing a vest and helmet when he was thrown just after leaving the gate to attempt an 8-second ride. The bull’s hind hooves hit Jeffries in the chest and abdomen.
It’s the first fatality in the 27-year history of the Allen County Fair Rodeo. Officials of McKellips Rodeo Co. said Jeffries was in his first year as a member of the Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association.
