Girl, 16, killed when thrown by rodeo bull

Brooke Coats of Riverview “died doing exactly what she wanted to do,” her best friend, Autumn Lewis, told the St. Petersburg Times Saturday. “It’s just what she loved.” Coats was fatally injured Friday night at the Remington Rough Stock rodeo as both her parents watched from the bleachers, the newspaper said. Hillsborough sheriff’s spokesman Larry McKinnon said the bull bucked the helmeted teen off its back, then kicked her. Coats got up and walked out of the ring, only to collapse and have trouble breathing, McKinnon said. The teen was taken to a hospital where doctors operated in an attempt to save her but she was pronounced dead about 10 p.m., the newspaper said. “Right now it appears to be a tragic, accidental death,” McKinnon said. “From the information I’ve got, she was a regular. It seems like this was her passion. She was doing something she really loved.” The sheriff’s office was reviewing the bull-riding ring for licensing, permitting and safety-related issues, he said.