Published 1:11 p.m. | Updated 5:18 p.m.
A tribute will be held Wednesday night at the National Western Stock Show at the Denver Coliseum to honor Mason Lowe, a bull rider who died after an event Tuesday.
As a witness told CBS4, Lowe collapsed after he was thrown and then the bull stepped on his chest. Lowe died Tuesday evening after being taken to a hospital. He was 25.
The bull rider was considered a veteran — he was ranked 18th in the world — and had been competing in Professional Bull Riders Association events since 2011. He had his sights on going to Las Vegas for the 2019 PBR World Finals.
At a Wednesday afternoon press conference, PRB CEO Sean Gleason said Lowe’s death is the third fatality at a PBR event. Rider Giliard Antonio died last year in Brazil from injuries. In 2000, bull rider Glen Keeley died at an event in Albuquerque.
Lowe grew up on a dairy farm and would ride the milk cows when he was a young boy, he said in a tribute video created by PBR.
“The way I was taught, you know you don’t get off whether you’re hurting a little bit. You just keep going at it and hopefully, it’ll pan a way out,” said Lowe, who was from Exeter, Missouri.
Typically, riders wear protective vests that are supposed to shield them from injury. Lowe was wearing the vest Tuesday when he was injured.
“Rider vests are mandated in the sport,” said PBR spokesman Andrew Giangola. “Unfortunately, the injury Mason suffered was just a massive injury.”
Lowe was riding a bull named Hard Times. He was injured while coming out of a chute on a bull that weighed about 1,700 pounds and attempting to stay on for eight seconds. Giangola said the bulls generally weigh between 1,600 and 1,800 pounds.
Lowe is survived by his family and wife, Abbey Lowe.
“Mason was the love of my life and my best friend. He loved the sport of bull riding and his PBR family,” Abbey wrote in a statement read by Gleason. “He was loved by his family and friends, had a kind soul and a heart of gold and he was always willing to help someone in need.”
Wednesday’s tribute begins at 7 p.m. and an in-arena fundraiser will be held to support Lowe’s family.
A fundraiser organized by PBR and the stock show had raised nearly $80,000 by Wednesday evening, which will go to Lowe’s family.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Editor's Note: Due to a source error, a previous version of this story incorrectly stated the number of recent PBR event fatalities.
