Rodeo star Spencer Wright's 3-year-old son Levi dies after driving toy tractor into river

The toddler son of rodeo star Spencer Wright has died after being hospitalized in critical condition since he drove his toy tractor into a southwestern Utah river last month, a family friend told USA TODAY Tuesday.

Levi Wright died Sunday after being removed from life support, Mindy Sue Clark, the best friend of the boy's mother, confirmed. He had been hospitalized in critical condition in Salt Lake City since the May 21 accident in Beaver, Utah near the family's home, Clark said. He was 3.

"He was the best," Clark said." We were all so blessed for three years with him."

"We will miss him every second of every day," the boy's mother, Kallie Wright, wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday.

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Sheriff said child drove toy tractor into water

On the day of the accident, the Beaver County Sheriff's Office reported deputies responded to a report of a child who had driven their toy tractor into water, and witnesses at the scene had lost visual contact with the boy.

The boy was "quickly located," the sheriff's office wrote in a release, and life saving measures were administered on scene. He was then transported to a hospital, the release continues, and taken by medical helicopter to a children's hospital in Salt Lake City.

"I cannot even begin to explain how hard the last two weeks have been. From the moment my phone rang the night of his accident, to last night receiving the message that he had to go," Clark wrote on Monday in a Facebook post.

'We will miss him every second of every day'

In a social media update one day earlier, Levi's mother shared her son was being taken off life support.

"After several sleepless nights, lots of research, multiple conversations with the world's best neurologists & millions of prayers we are here in the face of our biggest fear," she wrote on Facebook. "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," his mother wrote. "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."

In addition to his parents, Levi is survived by his 5-year-old sister Steeley, and 10-month-old brother Brae.

Who is Spencer Wright?

The boy's 33-year-old father is ranked No. 40 in the world in saddle bronc riding, according to prorodeo.com.

The athlete graduated from Milford High School in Utah in 2010 and attended Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Okla. and College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.

His career highlights, according to the site, including winning the 2024 Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show & Rodeo in Mercedes, Texas and being co-champion at the Wilderness Circuit Finals Rodeo in Heber City, Utah. He also won the Othello, Washington PRCA Rodeo and was co-champion at the Southeastern Livestock Exposition in Montgomery, Alabama.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.