UNION CITY, Ind. -- A summertime tradition turns tragic. A young Eastern Indiana baseball player is killed after being hit during practice.
The parents of Dylan Williams, 8, say he was practicing with his All-Star baseball team Tuesday night, playing first base when he was hit in the neck by his favorite thing in the world, a baseball.
"He fell to the ground. I even yelled at him to get up," Dylan's dad, Erick Williams said.
Dylan's family is still in shock as they recount the last moments of the young baseball player's life. Doctors told his parents they don't know why Dylan went into cardiac arrest after being hit by the ball.
"I couldn't even help, I couldn't help him. One of our dads tried, but there wasn't anything we could do," Erick said.
"Hug your kids tighter, give them kisses and tell them you love them even that much more, because you never know. Anything like this can happen at a moment's notice," Dylan's mom, Georgiana Williams said.
The All -Star little leaguer was rushed to the hospital Tuesday night, but doctors couldn't bring him back. Dylan was taken off life support Wednesday. His organs were donated to others in need.
"He's a hero, he helped several young kids last night and that's what he would have wanted. He's a great kid," Erick said.
The accident has shaken up the entire town. But the Williams family is telling everyone to stay strong and even play this weekend's All-Star game as scheduled, because that's what Dylan would have wanted.
There is a foundation set up at Pacesetter Bank in Union City, Ind., in Dylan's name. Dylan's family wants the money to go toward defibrillators at little league fields and CPR training for coaches.
Earlier coverage:
UNION CITY, Ind. (AP) -- An eastern boy from Indiana has died in an Indianapolis hospital from injuries he suffered when hit by a baseball during practice.
The 8-year-old boy was hit by a ball that had been thrown during practice in Union City on Tuesday evening. The Indianapolis Star and the (Muncie) Star Press report the boy was taken to a hospital in Winchester, then transferred to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, where he died Thursday.
The boy's name and age was not immediately released.
Union City Fire Chief Gary Moore says organizers of the baseball program were arranging help and counseling for other children who witnessed the accident.
Union City is about 75 miles northeast of Indianapolis.
The parents of Dylan Williams, 8, say he was practicing with his All-Star baseball team Tuesday night, playing first base when he was hit in the neck by his favorite thing in the world, a baseball.
"He fell to the ground. I even yelled at him to get up," Dylan's dad, Erick Williams said.
Dylan's family is still in shock as they recount the last moments of the young baseball player's life. Doctors told his parents they don't know why Dylan went into cardiac arrest after being hit by the ball.
"I couldn't even help, I couldn't help him. One of our dads tried, but there wasn't anything we could do," Erick said.
"Hug your kids tighter, give them kisses and tell them you love them even that much more, because you never know. Anything like this can happen at a moment's notice," Dylan's mom, Georgiana Williams said.
The All -Star little leaguer was rushed to the hospital Tuesday night, but doctors couldn't bring him back. Dylan was taken off life support Wednesday. His organs were donated to others in need.
"He's a hero, he helped several young kids last night and that's what he would have wanted. He's a great kid," Erick said.
The accident has shaken up the entire town. But the Williams family is telling everyone to stay strong and even play this weekend's All-Star game as scheduled, because that's what Dylan would have wanted.
There is a foundation set up at Pacesetter Bank in Union City, Ind., in Dylan's name. Dylan's family wants the money to go toward defibrillators at little league fields and CPR training for coaches.
Earlier coverage:
UNION CITY, Ind. (AP) -- An eastern boy from Indiana has died in an Indianapolis hospital from injuries he suffered when hit by a baseball during practice.
The 8-year-old boy was hit by a ball that had been thrown during practice in Union City on Tuesday evening. The Indianapolis Star and the (Muncie) Star Press report the boy was taken to a hospital in Winchester, then transferred to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, where he died Thursday.
The boy's name and age was not immediately released.
Union City Fire Chief Gary Moore says organizers of the baseball program were arranging help and counseling for other children who witnessed the accident.
Union City is about 75 miles northeast of Indianapolis.