Orange County Football Player Dies Following Freak Freeway Accident

WHITTIER, CA — A teenager who played football for Whittier Christian High School is being remembered by those who knew and loved him following a freak injury that ultimately ended his life on Nov. 24.

La Habra resident Ethan Hawks, 17, died from injuries he suffered while riding as a passenger in a vehicle on the Orange (57) Freeway in Anaheim on Nov. 19. A GoFundMe page to support the family has been established to assist them through the loss of their son.

A 7- to 10-pound piece of metal came through the windshield of his mother's car at a high velocity and struck Ethan on the right side of the face and neck, according to the GoFundMe page. The most serious damage occurred when his carotid artery was severed. He also sustained extensive damage to his jaw and cheek bone.

"Ethan's mom was amazing in the face of this, and she was able to reach over to the passenger seat to try to control Ethan's bleeding as well as drive him straight to the hospital herself," the GoFundMe page said.

According to the GoFundMe site, Ethan underwent numerous procedures while at UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, and was placed in an induced coma.

"Ethan's father and sister were in Pennsylvania, but made their way to his side, and the family was all together when Ethan went to be with his Savior," the GoFundMe site stated. "Ethan passed away early in the morning on Thursday, Nov. 24."

He is being remembered as a determined, hardworking student athlete by Whittier Christian High School where he played football, according Athletic Director, Rolland Esslinger.

"The Whittier Christian High School community is heavy-hearted today after losing Ethan Hawks to complications from the terrible accident that happened to him this last Saturday," the high school's Athletic Director, Rolland Esslingler, wrote in an email to the Orange County Register.

City News Service contributed to this report.
Image courtesy GoFundMe page.