Shortly after achieving his own personal record, a 16-year-old teenager from Texas suddenly collapsed and passed away during a cross country meet.
From The New York Post:
Angel Hernandez, a 16-year-old sophomore at Chisholm Trail High School, had just completed a 5K at a district track meet in Haltom City in Tarrant County on Oct. 13 when he collapsed right after crossing the finish line, witnesses told KHOU.
The teen’s concerned friends walked him over to a water fountain where he fell again. He was rushed to a local hospital where he died an hour later.
Brent Brevard, who coached Hernandez at Chisholm Trail High School last year before retiring, said he was the ideal student-athlete.
“He worked hard and cared about his teammates,” he told the outlet.
“He’s such a great kid, a likable kid, a good student, and it was awful news,” Brevard added.
Friends and family still do not know what caused the teen to collapse after running one of his best races.
Hernandez’s funeral was held on Friday, where his family was presented with a varsity letter jacket, KHOU reported. Later that night at the high school’s homecoming football game, a moment of silence was held in his memory.
This is indeed tragic, and once again, why on earth is this happening so often these days?
Our medical community needs to raise their heads out of the sand and decisively address the evident epidemic occurring among our youth.
There is no valid reason for us to ignore children dying in this manner.
