There is nothing more tragic than a young death. And when the death is of a child that is just a mere 8 years old, it stings much more. This story is of little Eli Hill who was spending a normal day at home when everything turned upside down for his little family…

It was a normal day in Corbin, Kentucky. A little boy named Eli Hill was playing basketball in his home when the unthinkable happened.

Little Eli got a stool so he could dunk the ball in the basketball hoop. However, as he started to do so the backboard came off of the pole and landed on the little boy’s chest causing him severe injuries.

Eli was the oldest son of Adam and Ashley Hill. He touched a lot of lives in his short time on earth. Tributes from dozens of people trickled in. Cameron Combs wrote, “As many knew Eli Hill you know how much joy one kid can bring into your life but also anywhere he is. For the kid who loved baseball more than anyone on this planet, you could quickly see one person who was so special to the sport.”

His loss affected the entire community. The Whitley County Sheriff’s Department posted about the loss and asked people to keep the Hill family in their thoughts and prayers. They also warned the general public of any GoFundMe accounts set up for Eli Hill saying the family has not made any such accounts.

The Fayette County Coroner said the 8-year-old died due to serious injuries to his chest as a result of a board falling on it. Eli was immediately rushed to a hospital following his freak accident but died there soon after.

This is such a heartbreaking loss for the entire community. We ask you to keep the Hill family in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate this tragedy.