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Dylan Thomas was “a healthy 16-year-old boy in great physical shape” that was struck down as everything tragically aligned the day he walked out into the field, the Pike County Coroner Terrell A. Moodyrevealed in his report released on Tuesday.
“[Nothing] would indicate Dylan would be more or less susceptible to this injury than any other ballplayer,” Moody wrote.
The player’s treating doctors called the injured “an anomaly,” as it required “the perfect amount of pressure on the perfect spot at the perfect angle.”
Moody, who ruled the death as an accident, added: “It is my opinion no additional preventative measures nor subsequent treatment could have prevented Dylan’s death.”
An autopsy was not performed on the athlete since all of his injuries were noted at the hospital.
Thomas, a junior linebacker and running back for Pike County High School in Zebulon, was playing in a game on Sept. 28 when he collapsed on the sidelines after complaining that he lost feeling in his left leg.
The teen was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, where he underwent multiple surgeries and tests to reduce swelling in his brain, beforedying from his injurieson Sunday night.
“There’s nothing that you can pinpoint,” head coach Brad Webber told CNN. “That makes it almost harder as well that we just didn’t know. If you know, you can prevent things. But just the way that happened, it’s just devastating. It’s just sad.”
Georgia High School Association also reviewed the film and confirmed that the school took all the necessary steps to ensure safety for the athletes.
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On Friday, the Pike County Pirates suited up for a game — just one week after the fatal incident. They ended up beating Rutland 48-2, which player Jordan Holley attributed to the devastating loss of his teammate.
“The loss of Dylan will now force us to strengthen our hearts,” Holley told CNN. “We may not be the fastest, strongest or best team in our region and we may not win another game this season, but moving forward there’s not a single high school team in the United States that has more heart than us right now.”
source: people.com
