- Angel Hernandez, 16, a sophomore at Chisholm Trail High School, completed a five-kilometer run at a district track and field event in Tarrant County on Oct. 13.
- But after crossing the finish line, he quickly collapsed and his friends rushed him to a water station, where he fell again
- The teenager was taken to Medical City Alliance but died an hour later
A 16-year-old in Texas suddenly collapsed and died after breaking his personal record in a cross-country competition.
Angel Hernandez, a sophomore at Chisholm Trail High School, completed a five-kilometer run at a district track and field event in Haltom City, Tarrant County, on Oct. 13.
But after crossing the finish line, he quickly collapsed and his friends rushed him to a water station, where he fell again.
The teenager was taken 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 being investigated by the Tarrant County Coroner.
16-year-old Angel Hernandez suddenly collapsed and died after breaking his personal record in a cross-country competition
After crossing the finish line, he quickly collapsed and his friends rushed him to a water station, where he fell again. He was taken to Medical City Alliance but died an hour later
Tributes poured in for Hernandez after his tragic death. “It was tragic, it was terrible news,” his former track coach Brent Brevard told KHOU.
“He’s such a great boy, a lovely boy, a good student, and it was terrible news.”
“He was the type of student-athlete you wanted.”
The Chisholm Trail High School second-grader completed a five-kilometer run at a district track and field event in Haltom City, Tarrant County, on Oct. 13
“He worked hard and cared about his teammates. But then he did the right thing at school and took care of his grades.”
A funeral was held for the teen on Friday and his family was presented with the teen’s varsity letter jacket to honor his legacy.
“A lot of people were there [the funeral]Many of his teammates did it and they encouraged everyone to wear it [the school color] purple,” Brevard added.
There was a moment of silence for Hernandez at the Chisholm Trail High School homecoming game later that evening.
The teenager was also a student at the Texas School of Karate, which remained closed a week after his death out of respect.
“Every one of us was crying, every one of us was comforting each other,” coach Ashley Wood said.
‘It’s really hard. We’ll never get over it. We will never forget him. We will miss him here, but we will always love him.”
She said Hernandez lived up to his angelic name, adding, “He made you love him with his personality.”
The teenager was also a student at the Texas School of Karate, which remained closed a week after his death out of respect
“Every one of us was crying, every one of us was comforting each other,” said coach Ashley Wood (right).
There was a moment of silence for Hernandez at the Chisholm Trail High School homecoming game that followed his funeral
“He had an infectious smile. The moment of silence helps us know that he was loved by everyone.”
Wood has comforted his karate friends as they mourn his death. She said he had shown no signs of illness while training before the incident.
The karate instructor has set up a GoFundMe page to help Hernandez’s family with funeral costs. To date, $12,000 has been raised.
“It’s reassuring to know that his reach extended far beyond even what we knew, even outside of martial arts and even outside of his cross-country running,” she said.
“It goes far beyond that.” Everyone feels Angel’s impact. 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 his younger brother Mark.