Bull rider Justin Blake Saylor died Saturday after a bull threw him and stomped his chest at a Waynesville, Ohio, rodeo, with police calling the death accidental.

Justin "Blake" Saylor, 35, was thrown from the bull and then stomped during the event at Fox Hollow Rodeo, Fox News reported.

He was wearing a protective vest. Police said he "suffered a traumatic chest injury" and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Local details came through FOX 19 Cincinnati. Police are investigating the case as an accidental death.

The wreck happened on Saturday evening in Waynesville, Ohio. No other riders or spectators were described as hurt in the available account.

Months earlier, a broken collarbone did not end his rides

A few months before the fatal night, Saylor said he had broken his collarbone in another bull-riding wreck.

He posted a picture of the fractured collarbone and photos of himself on the ground inside the ring. He got back on bulls anyway.

That pattern is familiar in the sport. Riders accept short, violent risk for a clean hold and a clean get-off. Sometimes the get-off never comes.

Fox Hollow Rodeo issued a public statement after the death.

"There are no words to express the sadness we are feeling. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and everyone affected by this heartbreaking tragedy."

Lindsay Marie, described in the coverage as appearing to be his girlfriend, wrote her own farewell.

"Knowing you've always said that when it's your time to go you hope it's doing what you love the most, riding bulls! I just wish I could hold you one last time and tell you how much I love you."

Her words match what Saylor had already told people close to him. He wanted the end, if it came, to come in the arena.

Police treat the death as an accident

Authorities have not alleged foul play. They are working the file as an accidental death tied to the ride itself.

The hospital where Saylor was pronounced dead was not named. The specific police agency was not named either in the first national article. The core facts were not left in doubt: throw, stomp, traumatic chest injury, death.

Bull riding leaves little margin. A vest can blunt force. It cannot cancel a full animal coming down on a man’s chest after he is already on the ground.

Saylor was 35. He left behind family, friends, and a sport that runs on nerve more than safety manuals.

Hard American sports still run on voluntary risk, not padded guarantees, and Saylor climbed on knowing exactly what that bargain meant.