A video going viral on social media shows a father coming to his son’s rescue during a Texas rodeo show

Dad protected his son throws himself in between the son and the raging bull

Dad saved his son at the rodeo

BELTON, Texas – A video showing a Texas father jumping out of his seat and saving his bull riding son has gone viral.

18-year-old Cody Hooks, who is from Louisiana, was competing at a rodeo in Belton in January 2022 when he was bucked off and lying unconscious on the ground. That’s when his father jumped in to shield his son from the bull.

The father even took a hit to protect his son.

Cody posted this video on Instagram thanking his dad, and the bullfighters, saying things could’ve been much worse.

“Not one to post falling off, but big thanks to my dad @hooks.landis and the bullfighters last night in Belton, Tx could’ve been a hella lot worse. #blessed,” his post read.

“The last thing I can remember is I was getting down on my bull and taking my wrap, and that’s the last thing I remember before getting knocked out,” Cody said.

His father, Landis, said, “You laugh about it when it’s all over, but it kind of got me a little bit.”

The video shows Cody falling off the bull as bullfighters try to get the bull under control. Landis then jumps on top of Cody and gets rammed by the bull.

“That’s just part of the culture we were brought up in,” Landis said. “And a lot of people don’t understand the hard work that these guys put in.”

Landis said instinct took over once he saw his son fall.

Texas father jumps out of his seat to save his bull riding son

“Honestly, that’s not the first time I’ve jumped on somebody like that. It just comes from being around it all the time,” he said. “No matter what, I’m going to do what I’m going to do for him. Did I like it, no? I didn’t like it one bit.”

Although the incident happened there, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo have medical staff in the arena during all of its competitions.

“A lot of these riders can only do these types of sporting events for so long because injuries will catch up with them,” said Dr. Kelly Larkin, a member of the executive committee. “And then they are not in good enough shape to be able to ride. These animals can be 2,000 or 3,000 pounds. It’s a very dangerous sport.”

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