Cody Hooks was hurled off the bull's back and lost consciousness.
A father is being hailed a hero for saving his 18-year-old son from being trampled by a raging bull. Cody Hooks was flung off the bull's back soon after entering the ring at a rodeo in Texas. Footage that was first shared online last month but has recently gone viral shows the 18-year-old lying unconscious on the ground after being thrown off the animal. As handlers in the ring tried in vain to subdue the raging bull, it charged towards the unconscious teen.
Fortunately for Cody, his father was at hand to save him from certain injury. Landis Hooks, 40, flung himself over his son's body, covering his head and pressing him to the ground as the bull charged towards them. According to Houston Chronicle, Landis took the brunt of the bull's anger. He was hit in the head by the rampaging animal but managed to save his son from grievous harm.
Hair-raising footage of the moment was shared online by Cody Hooks, who thanked his father and other bullfighters for saving him from what could have been a very ugly situation.
Social media users were full of praise for Landis Hooks, hailing him for jumping in without a second thought. "A father willing to lay down his life for his son!" remarked one commenter. "Your dad is a legend," said another.
On Twitter, he was hailed as "Dad of the year".
Speaking about the incident, Landis Hooks said his mind "went blank" before he sprung into action. "I just wanted to make sure that sucker didn't come back and get on top of him like he was about to," he was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
"That's just part of the everyday cowboy life where I come from. Somebody gets down, you gotta help them," he added. "But I am glad I was there though."
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