Texas high schooler, 16, mysteriously collapses and dies after crossing finish line at cross country meet in which he ran a personal best time
- Angel Hernandez, 16, a sophomore at Chisholm Trail High School, completed a three-mile run on Oct. 13 at a district track in Tarrant County.
- But he collapsed soon after crossing the finish line and his friends rushed him to a water station where he fell again
- The teen was rushed to Medical City Alliance but died an hour later
A 16-year-old boy in Texas suddenly collapsed and died after breaking his personal record during a cross-country race.
Angel Hernandez, a sophomore at Chisholm Trail High School, completed a three-mile run during a district track event on Oct. 13 in Haltom City, Tarrant County.
But he collapsed soon after crossing the finish line and his friends rushed him to a water station where he fell again.
The teen was rushed to Medical City Alliance but died an hour later.
His friends and family are unsure what caused his death after he ran his best race and it is under investigation by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner.
Angel Hernandez, 16, suddenly collapsed and died after breaking his personal record in a cross-country race
He collapsed soon after crossing the finish line and his friends rushed him to a water station where he fell again. He was rushed to Medical City Alliance but died an hour later
Tributes poured in for Hernandez following his tragic death. “It was tragic, it was terrible news,” said his previous track coach Brent Brevard I LOVE.
“He’s such a great kid, a likeable kid, a good student, and it was terrible news.
“He was the kind of student-athlete you wanted.
The Chisholm Trail High School sophomore completed a three-mile run at a district track event on Oct. 13 in Haltom City, Tarrant County.
“He worked hard and cared about his teammates. But he also behaved properly at school and took care of his grades.”
A funeral was held for the teen on Friday and his family received the teen’s varsity letter jacket as a tribute to his legacy.
“A lot of people attended (the funeral), a lot of his teammates made it and they encouraged everyone to wear (the school color) purple,” Brevard added.
A moment of silence was held for Hernandez during the Chisholm Trail High School homecoming game held later that evening.
The teen was also a student at the Texas School of Karate, which closed a week after his death as a mark of respect.
“We all cried, we all comforted each other,” coach Ashley Wood said.
‘It is very difficult. We’ll never get over it. We will never forget him. He will be missed here, but he will always be loved.”
She said Hernandez lived up to his angel name, adding, “He made you love him with his personality.
The teen was also a student at the Texas School of Karate, which closed a week after his death as a mark of respect
“We all cried, we all comforted each other,” coach Ashley Wood (right) said.
A moment of silence was held for Hernandez during the Chisholm Trail High School homecoming game held after his funeral
‘He had an infectious smile. The moment of silence lets us know that he was loved by everyone.”
Wood comforts his friends at karate who are mourning his death. She said he showed no signs of illness during training before the incident.
The karate coach has a GoFundMe page to help Hernandez’s family with funeral expenses and $12,000 has been raised so far.
“It’s reassuring to know that his reach even went far beyond what we knew, even beyond martial arts and even beyond cross-country running,” she said.
‘It goes much further than that. Everyone feels the effects of Angel. Angel is that child. He touched everyone he came into contact with. You couldn’t help but love him.’
Hernandez is survived by his parents Antonio and Elsie Hernandez, and younger brother Mark.