A Kentucky family was plunged into grief when their 8-year-old son, Eli Hill, suffered fatal injuries caused by a basketball hoop that fell on him.
According to WKYT, Eli was attempting to dunk a basketball, using something to help him reach the hoop, when the backboard detached and fell on him.
Eli’s mother, Ashley Hill, was inside the house making dinner at the time of the incident, which occurred on their driveway.
His father, Adam Hill, took to social media to plead for prayers for his son.
Eli was taken to a hospital with chest trauma due to the hoop and later passed away due to his injuries, as reported by WYMT. Eli’s family decided to donate his organs, noting that his heart of gold now lives on in someone else.
Arrangements for Eli have yet to be finalized, but the First Baptist Church of Corbin has opened its doors to those who wish to grieve the young boy’s passing. In a statement, the church expressed how the Corbin community had been crushed by the tragedy, calling it “impossible to process and to make sense of”.