ANAHEIM, Calif. -- A 17-year-old football player died Thanksgiving Day after he was struck by metal debris on a freeway over the weekend.
Ethan Hawks, a junior at Whittier Christian High School in La Habra, Calif., was riding as a passenger with his mother Saturday on an Anaheim freeway when another vehicle hit a piece of metal, launching it straight at them.
The metal struck Hawks in the face and seriously injured him. His mother drove straight to a hospital, all while reaching over to try to stop the bleeding, according to a report from ABC7 in Los Angeles.
Hawks was hospitalized in a trauma unit and died just after 5 a.m. Thursday. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help cover the family's expenses.
It is with great sadness that I report that we lost Ethan Hawks this morning. He went to be with his Savior. Continue to pray for his family
— WCHS (@HeraldAthletics) November 24, 2016
