Bronc Rider Dies After Being Bucked Off a Horse at West Texas Rodeo

A Bronc rider at a Texas rodeo died over the weekend after he was bucked off a horse. 

Skee Burkes, 26, suffered a “tragic accident” Saturday and was declared dead at The West Texas Fair & Rodeo in Abilene, according to KRBC. 

Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Expo Center Rochelle Johnson told the station that Burkes, of Lubbock, “just happened on an animal that is somewhat wild, and so precautions with that are limited.” 

"It’s kind of what happens with these. It can happen in these kinds of events, unfortunately," Johnson said. "We pray for this young man’s family.”

Johnson died after the fall, but his exact cause of death was unclear. 

In a statement on Facebook, the West Texas Fair & Rodeo, which described Burkes as “Christ-like," said it "would like to extend our deepest condolences to Burkes' family.”

"Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved - rodeo competitors, fans and spectators, and officials who were in the arena that night," it said.

Dee Ann Littlefield, Burkes’ mother, said in a statement "from the day he was born all I ever knew to expect from Skee was the unexpected. This was definitely unexpected.”

"He was the most talented, hilariously funny, artistic, musical, retro package I have ever known,” his mother said.