Student crushed by tree he and his cross country teammates knocked down, Ohio cops say

A high school student was crushed by a falling tree after competing at a cross country meet in Cambridge, Ohio, according to police.

The student, junior Owen Grubb, was “cooling off” in nearby woods along with several teammates from Minerva High School in the afternoon on Saturday, Oct. 22, according to a Cambridge Police Department report.

Cambridge is roughly 80 miles east of downtown Columbus.

Grubb and three other students were trying to knock over a tree, witnesses told police, the report said. There were no coaches supervising at the time.

The tree was dead and already leaning to one side, and the athletes were “sitting on, pulling or pushing” it, until it broke and came crashing down.

Toppling trees had apparently become an unofficial tradition for the cross country team.

“In the past couple of years, the athletes would find a tree and throw it off the bridge into the water,” witnesses told investigators.

Grubb was pushing when the tree snapped, a witness said. He started to run away but it landed on top of him.

A teammate called 911 for help.

When officers arrived, Grubb wasn’t breathing and had no pulse, the report said. His right arm was broken, his head and face showed “obvious” signs of trauma, and blood ran from his nose and mouth.

An officer attempted CPR as more first responders made their way to the scene, the report said. He was transported to a hospital and, at one point, was in stable condition.

However, Grubb ultimately died from his injuries, outlets reported.

“We are all grieving the loss of Owen, who was a bright light in our high school and an exceptional student-athlete,” Minerva Local School District superintendent Gary Chaddock said in a statement obtained by WJW, adding that counselors would be made available to students. “We are keeping our entire school community close in our hearts during this time.”

This story was originally published October 24, 2022 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Student crushed by tree he and his cross country teammates knocked down, Ohio cops say."