A teenager attending a high school summer football camp, died during a rigorous team-building drill based on a system designed to train Navy SEALs, according to a new report.
Joshua Mileto was participating in a log carrying exercise designed to promote teamwork. But, when the 10-foot-long log slipped out of the boys’ hands it fell and hit the 16-year-old in the head, according to People magazine.
The teen went into cardiac arrest on the field and was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The exercise was being supervised by at least six adult coaches, and police have not determined if the log was too heavy, or slippery, for the teens to hold or if it was simply an accident. So far, it is being labeled an accident.
Joshua Mileto "was always happy, always laughing." The 16-year-old died after a log used in a drill fell on his head https://t.co/hAk3EyWgJq pic.twitter.com/JZzyuU5MY6
— Newsday (@Newsday) August 11, 2017
The log carry is similar to the team building exercise used during military special forces training.
Another teen was also taken to the hospital that same day, but it was not reported if the second player was injured during the same incident.
Whatever may have gone wrong with the drill exercise, it doesn’t appear that its use broke any state laws.
The head of New York’s Public High School Athletics Association said that the drill was not outlawed by any state rules, according to ABC affiliate New York 4.
School officials released a statement saying that the school was “devastated” by the teenager’s death:
“The district is devastated by this horrific accident and words cannot express the grief we feel as a school community,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenneth Graham said. “We extend our deepest condolences to the student’s family and friends during this terribly difficult time.”
The Sachem East Touchdown Club set up a GoFundMe page to help the teen’s family defray costs.
The teen’s mother released a statement asking for privacy for the family:
“We are absolutely beyond devastated. We are in no way able to respond or speak to anyone at this point. Please respect our privacy at this difficult time. … Thank you everyone for all the calls and texts out pouring of love and support from our family, friends and Sachem Community.”
The family also reported that the funeral would be a private affair not opened to the public.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.