Dad throws his body over 18YO son to protect him from charging bull during Texas rodeo

A dad is being lauded as a hero after he jumped into the ring to save his son from a raging bull during a rodeo in Belton, Texas. Landis Hooks of Louisiana jumped in the ring after seeing his 18-year-old son, Cody, being thrown off the animal immediately after leaving the gate. The teen was left unconscious after being bucked off the back of the bull. When handlers couldn't subdue the bull, it charged back towards the teen. The young man’s father, who has ridden bulls himself, then ran out to shield his son with his body as the bull ran towards them with his horns down. The dad bravely lay on top of his son covering his son's face and head with his own. Fortunately, the bull's subsequent charge on the father and son "could've been a [hell of a] lot worse," according to Cody Hooks, who shared the clip to his Instagram feed.

“All I could think about was just covering him up because he couldn’t cover himself up,” said Landis Hooks, according to KWTX. “I’d much rather do that than get in a cage and go cage fighting, I can promise you that,” said Landis. “It’s not just ‘go jump on a bull’, it’s everyday training, a lot of people don’t see the behind the scenes stuff, they watch it on TV, they see guys being 90 all the time, but they don’t see the hard work they put into it,” he shared.

The entire ordeal was caught on video in front of hundreds of fans at the Bell County Expo Center and the video has since gone viral. Cody said in the caption that he was usually "not one to post falling off" footage, but made an exception due to what happened in the ring. Many called the dad "father of the year". "A father willing to lay down his life for his son! ❤️," one person wrote on the video. "That's a hell of a Dad you got!" said another user. A third commented, "We are glad you're okay! Rest up! 🙏🏼"

“I didn’t think it would go viral,” said Landis. “I think it’s kind of cool though how it just kind of sheds light on the rodeo lifestyle.” He said he'd do it again in a heartbeat even if the bull was more aggressive. “I’ve seen that done in a cow pasture before, that just comes in a long line of hardcore cowboys where I come from,” the brave dad shared. “I can promise you there’s a lot more ranker cowboys than me, and that’s just how we were brought up in the rodeo ring.”

Cover Image Source: Instagram | cody__hooks