A pair of high school athletes from Illinois were killed in a sledding accident during a spring break trip to Colorado over the weekend, officials said.
The victims, identified by school officials as Dylan Bazzell and Drew Fehr, were riding tandem down a half-pipe at Copper Mountain Ski Resort on Sunday night when their sled launched off a large snowbank, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
“The two individuals came down hard on the hard ice below, causing blunt force trauma,” the statement read.
First responders arrived around 8:35 p.m., but were unable to revive the two men, who were both pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said the victims were 17 and 18 years old, but did not release their names.
In a letter to the community on Monday, the Prairie Central school district in Fairbury, IL, confirmed the victims were Bazzell and Fehr. They said the boys were visiting the Colorado resort on spring break.
Tributes remembered both Bazzell and Fehr as star athletes.
Shortly before his death, Bazzell, son of boys’ basketball coach and former all-star Darin Bazzell, was named an Associated Press first-team all-state basketball selection, the Pontiac Daily Leader said.
During the fall season, he was a defensive back, wide receiver, and kicker on the boys’ basketball team.
Fehr also started on the basketball team, and was the captain of the football squad, the outlet reported.
As a running back and linebacker, he led Prairie Central with 1,439 rushing yards, 21 touchdowns, and 98 tackles.
Jim Mattson of WEEK 25 shared a Facebook video highlighting both Bazzell and Fehr’s athletic accomplishments, and described both young players as “no nonsense, no celebrating, just having fun playing with their teammates.”
Prairie Central schools remain closed for spring break this week, though the administration encouraged the community to reach out for counseling in the wake of the tragedy.
In a statement to ABC News, Dustin Lyman, Copper Mountain’s president and general manager, said that the resort closes lift and trail access at 4 p.m. daily.
The halfpipe where the incident took place was roped off at the time of the teens’ deaths, he explained.
“The entire team at Copper Mountain is deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Our most sincere condolences go out to the affected families and friends,” Lyman told the outlet.
