The teen perished in a freak accident that asphyxiated him inside his family's van.
Friends, family and teachers came together Monday to mourn Kyle Plush, the 16-year-old Ohio boy who was killed in a freak accident last week.
Plush's mother, Jill, spoke to an overflowing crowd, describing her son as smart and eager to learn about life. "There was a lot of tears being shed at that point in time," Tom Grant, the student's former swim and gym instructor, told WLWT-TV.
Authorities are still trying to sort out what happened to the Cincinnati teen, who was pinned by a seat in his van that flipped on him as he tried to reach tennis equipment stored in the back. Plush managed to make two 911 calls. "I'm in desperate need of help!" he told a dispatcher at one point. At another, he said, "Tell my mom I love her. I probably don't have much time left."
First responders were unable to locate the boy, and he died from "asphyxia due to chest compression," according to an initial autopsy.
"Anyone who ever encountered Kyle knows he lit up a room with his larger than life, funny, smart and positive personality with inclusion of all. His friends know him as a leader with incredible potential that kept them laughing with his wit and innovative mind. He is unforgettable and we, as a family, will make sure he is never forgotten," his family said in a statement last week.
On Sunday, hundreds stood in the rain waiting to pay their respects during a public visitation.
Cincinnati City Council member David Mann praised Plush as "apparently a fine, wonderful young man."
A special committee of the council will meet Tuesday to investigate why those sent to answer Plush's 911 calls were unable to find him. The boy's father went to the school after Kyle failed to come home and found his body inside the van in a parking lot across from the school.
Law enforcement agencies are also investigating how the 911 calls were handled.
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