A Pennsylvania coroner has ruled that a college baseball player died accidentally when a makeshift dugout collapsed and he was punched in the face.
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A college baseball player died after being punched in the face when a makeshift dugout he was helping dismantle collapsed on top of him this week.
Angel Mercado, 19, was an inside midfielder who had just completed his freshman season at Division II Central Penn College. He played in a summer recreation league that held its games and practices at a park in Harrisburg.
The Mercado team coach had built a makeshift wooden dugout there on Sunday, but city officials told him it was not allowed. Mercado was among a group of players taking down the structure on Monday afternoon when it unexpectedly collapsed and he was punched in the face.
Mercado suffered head trauma and was taken to hospital, where he died on Tuesday. The Cumberland County Coroner’s Office ruled the death accidental.
“Nothing criminal happened here,” city spokesman Matt Maisel said. “No charges will be brought against the coach. No charges will be brought against anyone. This is simply a tragedy.
At the school’s commencement ceremony on Thursday night, some students honored Mercado by wearing his initials and baseball jersey number on their graduation attire.