Rodeo Star Spencer Wright’s 3-Year-Old Son Removed From Life Support After Near-Drowning Accident

White Gypsophila flowers in a stock photo. sakhorn/Shutterstock

Levi Wright, the 3-year-old son of professional rodeo rider Spencer Wright and his wife, Kallie, has died after being taken off of life support.

The tragic update comes nearly two weeks after the toddler was hospitalized following a near-drowning accident that occurred close to the family’s home in Beaver, Utah.

Mrs. Wright broke the news in a Facebook post, published on June 2, noting that the decision to take him off life support was made “after several sleepless nights, lots of research, multiple conversations with the world’s best neurologists, and millions of prayers.”

“Levi showed us just enough to buy us time for all of this. We prayed those things were him defying odds & proving to us that he wanted to stay here but we see now he wanted to give us time to find peace with letting him go. I told you my baby was thoughtful & considerate, I truly believe he did that for us,” wrote Mrs. Wright, who shares two other children with the rodeo star.

“During this time he brought out humanity across the nation, he dropped so many to their knees & reminded them what truly matters in this world. ... Here soon I'll climb into bed with my baby and hold him as he falls asleep for the last time on this earth. I find comfort in knowing he will be restored to the perfect little boy he was & have the ability to do all the things he loves!” she continued. “I know there are Angels up there waiting to hold him until I can again! We will miss him every second of every day down here but feel without unwavering doubt this is the best thing we can do for him!”

A family friend by the name of Mindy Sue Clark confirmed Levi’s passing in a separate Facebook post, calling him “the most perfect three year old there ever was.” She wrote: “He brought so many people together. In a world so dark, we got to see light at the hands of a child. He’s everything his mom and dad could’ve wanted him to be.”

According to the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office, the toddler drove his toy tractor into a river located near the Wrights’ home on May 21.

Dispatch was alerted at approximately 6:02 p.m., and multiple agencies responded to the call, including the local sheriff’s office, Utah Highway Patrol, Beaver County Search & Rescue, Beaver Fire, and Beaver Ambulance. Volunteers also aided in the search and rescue efforts and Levi was promptly located down the river.

“Life-saving measures were administered on scene,” a statement issued by Deputy Sheriff Cody V. Black reads. “The child was then transported by Beaver Ambulance to Beaver Valley Hospital where medical care was rendered until Life Flight arrived and airlifted the child to Primary Children’s Hospital.”

Deputy Sheriff Black added: “Our thoughts are with the child and his family at this time.”

Tragic Accident

Following her son’s accident, Mrs. Wright shared a string of detailed updates on his condition via her Facebook account, most notably revealing that Levi had woken up two days after he was admitted to the hospital.

“I am shook, we don’t know much but the doctor said it was okay for me to get excited about that and I AM! My baby is so tough!” she wrote. However, the following day, Mrs. Wright clarified that her son hadn’t been fully coherent, nor had he uttered any words, stating he merely “opened his eyes for a period of time” and “wiggled with purpose and less like just a reflex as before.”

In subsequent updates, Mrs. Wright indicated that her son had undergone numerous tests, including several MRIs and 24-hour electroencephalograms. The former, a medical imaging procedure, uses radio waves to create images of the body’s anatomy, while the latter, known as an EEG, records brain activity.

On May 26, Mrs. Wright discussed Levi’s brain injury, explaining that his doctor had given the couple “the most precious gift of time” with their son.

“Whether that is time to see if God provides a miracle to us or whether it’s time for us to research, learn and process this all in order to make the most informed decisions. Every decision that Levi’s Dad and I will make will be made based on what, we the two people who know him best believe he would want. In all this, he comes first,” she penned.

“I know you’re all praying for a miracle, we are too but make no mistake..... many miracles have already surrounded us during this tragedy,” Mrs. Wright wrote in an ensuing post, published May 30.

“Many of you gained perspective on what truly matters in this world, many of you connected with God again & felt his presence, many of you came together to create & witness magic as a community,” she continued. “These are just the main ones that come to mind. I thank Levi for that.”