A 15-year-old Illinois high school student has died after being struck by a line drive during baseball practice. Bentley Wolfe, a sophomore at Chrisman High School, was hit in the head by a ball on March 2 while practising with the Georgetown Buffaloes in Chrisman, a small town near the Illinois-Indiana border.
His condition deteriorated, and he was taken the following day to OSF HealthCare St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, where he was listed in critical condition. Doctors later determined he had suffered severe head injuries, and he was declared brain dead on Friday. An autopsy confirmed blunt force trauma to the head as the cause of death.
Bentley's mother, Samantha Simpson, wrote on Facebook: 'My life has shattered right before my eyes, I don't know how I'm writing this post. My Bentley our Bentley, is on life support and it's not looking good.' Hundreds of friends, classmates, teachers, coaches, and neighbours gathered at Chrisman High School for a prayer vigil on March 6, according to The Prairie Press.
Bentley was also active in the school's FFA programme (Future Farmers of America). His obituary noted his love for tractors, trucks, farming, four-wheelers, and shooting guns. Chrisman FFA wrote: 'Bentley was always positive and bright light to every room he was in. His light will continue to shine as he provides the gift of life by being an organ donor.'
Simpson announced on Sunday that Bentley's heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and pancreas were successfully donated. She wrote: 'BENTLEY KAHNE WOLFE will FOREVER live on in others and in our hearts. His light will never go out. What a true HERO I get to call my son!'
