Rodeo star Spencer Wright's son opens eyes, lifts head days after river accident

The 3-year-old son of rodeo star Spencer Wright was able to lift his head and open his eyes after an accident left him unconscious for several days, according to CBS News affiliate KUTV. 

Levi Wright was riding a toy tractor by a creek near their home on May 21 when he veered too close to the water and was swept away, CBS News previously reported. He was swept away a mile downstream, where he was found unconscious. 

The toddler was airlifted to Primary Children's Hospital, where he remains, according to social media posts from his mother, Kallie Wright. On Friday, she wrote that "LEVI WOKE UP!" after days unconscious. 

"We don't know much but the doctor said it was okay for me to get excited about that and I AM!" she wrote. "My baby is so tough!" 

A few hours later, Wright clarified that Levi had "opened his eyes for a period of time, wiggled with purpose and less like just a reflex as before" and said the family still had a "long and tremendous road ahead." 

"Spencer and I felt like he knew we were there and could hear us," Wright wrote. "He's been pretty sedated since then but has still had small periods of awakeness. He actually woke up during us talking to one of the doctors about his love of excavators and tractors!" 

Wright said on Friday evening that Levi had had an MRI that "wasn't good" and showed results that left her and her husband "shattered."  

"It is just images that suggest a certain quality of life," she wrote. "Our real teller of all will be what Levi does over the course of a few days. Please continue to pray! I'm not giving up on my baby just yet." 

Wright said she continues seeking expertise from neurologists and other professionals and that she and her husband plan to share fewer updates in the coming days. 

Kallie and Spencer Wright have three children together, including Levi. Spencer Wright, 33, is ranked No. 40 in the world in saddle bronc riding. 

Kerry Breen

Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.

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