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RAMONA, Cailf. — A California teen has died after being hit in the chest with a softball during gym class on his birthday.
Taylor Dorman, 16, was hit in the chest with a softball while playing over-the-line in gym class Wednesday. Over the-line is played instead of baseball when there are not enough players to fill all the positions. The defense plays only in the outfield, and a batter that hits a ball into the infield is automatically out.
Witnesses said Dorman was awake and talking after he was hit, even joking with the student who had hit the ball. About 20 minutes later, he collapsed, according to CBS 8.
Paramedics found he had an irregular heart rhythm, according to Yahoo! News, and they were unable to stabilize it. He was pronounced dead a few hours after being airlifted to a local hospital.
He was the kid that when he had to run laps around the baseball field, and every time he ran by us standing at the fence, he had a big smile on his face. So that's the way he lived his life.
–Sue Kohler
At a vigil Thursday, friends and family met to remember the sophomore.
"I think you all know that Taylor was an amazing person. He was very loving," said Sue Kohler, Dorman's mother. "He was the kid that when he had to run laps around the baseball field, and every time he ran by us standing at the fence, he had a big smile on his face. So that's the way he lived his life."
Friends who will now be attending a funeral this weekend instead of a birthday party released balloons printed with "Happy Birthday" on them, lit candles and cried. They remembered Dorman as someone who was always in a good mood.
"He was always happy and always smiling. And even when it was a bad day he would always bring just so much happiness," a classmate told CBS 8.
An exact cause of death has not been released.
