It only takes a second. Every parent knows that internal clock—the one that counts the beats while your kid is out of sight. For Kallie Wright, it was just a moment. She stepped inside her home in Beaver County, Utah, on a Tuesday evening in May 2024. When she came back out, the silence was deafening. Her three-year-old son, Levi, was gone.
The Levi Wright accident is one of those stories that stops you in your tracks. It isn’t just about a "rodeo family" or a "tragic event." It is a visceral reminder of how quickly life shifts from ordinary to unimaginable. Levi, the son of world-ranked saddle bronc rider Spencer Wright, wasn't doing anything reckless. He was being a three-year-old. He was on his favorite toy: an electric tractor.
The Timeline of the Levi Wright Accident
On May 21, 2024, Levi was playing on the family’s 24-acre ranch. There is a creek that runs through the property, a familiar landmark the kids had crossed a million times. But that day, the water was at its peak. It was fast. It was strong.
Kallie had told him not to go near the creek or the road. She went inside—maybe to swap laundry, maybe to wash a bottle, she honestly can't remember which—and in those few minutes, Levi drove toward the water.
When Kallie emerged and saw the overturned toy tractor by the water’s edge, the nightmare began.
- 911 was called immediately.
- Search and rescue teams scrambled across the property.
- Levi was eventually found in the water, nearly a mile away from where he went in.
- First responders spent almost an hour performing life-saving measures before he was airlifted to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.
Two Weeks of Miracles and Heartbreak
For twelve days, the world watched. The "rodeo world" is tight-knit, and the outpouring of support was massive. People wore yellow. They prayed. They shared every update Kallie posted on Facebook. And for a while, it felt like a miracle was coming.
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Levi opened his eyes. He squeezed hands. The family saw "small miracles" that suggested he might defy the odds of a severe brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation. Doctors tried to wean him off sedation, but his little body couldn't handle it.
Honestly, the medical reality was brutal. Neurologists and specialists worked around the clock, but the MRI results eventually left the family "shattered." By June 2, 2024, Spencer and Kallie had to make the kind of decision no person should ever have to weigh. They decided to let him go.
Beyond the Headlines: The Levi Wright Foundation
Tragedy has a way of leaving a vacuum, but the Wright family filled it with purpose. They didn't just retreat; they started the Levi Wright Foundation. It's basically a safety net for other families hitting rock bottom.
When your kid is in the ICU, you aren't thinking about the mortgage. You aren't thinking about who is feeding the cattle back at the ranch or where you're going to sleep. This foundation steps in to handle the "other stuff"—the hotels, the food, the hired hands—so parents can just be parents.
In July 2025, the family held a memorial barrel race in Salina, Utah. It wasn't just a competition; it was a celebration of a kid they called "Beans," a boy who loved T-Rexes and heavy machinery and followed his dad onto the tractor every chance he got.
Lessons from a Mother’s Grief
Kallie Wright has been incredibly transparent about her "mom guilt." She has said the decision to step inside for those few minutes will haunt her for eternity. But she also issued a plea to other parents that resonated far beyond the rodeo community.
Don't just take your kids to do fun things. Do them with them.
She talked about the little things we usually complain about—the scissor marks on the couch or the stamps on the playroom wall. Those are the things she holds onto now. Her advice? Don't make mountains out of molehills. Everything is replaceable except the person.
Moving Forward With Awareness
The Levi Wright accident sparked a massive conversation about water safety on rural properties. Even when a child "knows the rules," the lure of water and the speed of a toy tractor can change everything in a heartbeat.
If you want to honor Levi's memory or help families in similar crises, here is how you can actually take action:
- Support the Foundation: The Levi Wright Foundation provides direct financial and logistical support to families in medical crisis.
- Audit Your Property: If you live on acreage, check your water levels during runoff season. Fencing and gates can fail, and "familiar" paths can become dangerous in high-water years.
- Prioritize Presence: Take the "play with them" advice to heart. The laundry can wait; the moment on the swing cannot.
The story of Levi Wright is finished in one sense, but his legacy through the foundation and the lives he touched is very much alive. It’s a heavy story, but it’s one that has brought a lot of people back to what truly matters.