An 11th-grade student at Sachem High School East in Farmingville, N.Y., died Thursday morning after a log fell on his head during a training drill at an offseason football camp on school grounds.
CBS New York reports that Joshua Mileto, 16, was participating in a strength and conditioning camp at the school when he sustained the fatal injury.
Several players were running while carrying a large log over their heads as part of a conditioning drill.
Two of the players fell, causing the log, which looks like a telephone pole, to strike Joshua in the head.
He suffered massive injuries and was rushed to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police say.
Those who have taken part in the log exercise says it is used for team building and endurance.
The Sachem Central School District issued a statement on its web site about the student's death:
"The district is devastated by this horrific accident and words cannot express the grief we feel as a school community. We extend our deepest condolences to the student’s family and friends during this terribly difficult time.
"We have enacted our Crisis Intervention Team and support services will be made available to students and staff for as long as needed as we mourn and try to cope with this loss."
