Corbin Primary student dies Monday evening in accident

A Corbin Primary student died Monday evening following an accident with a basketball goal.

Corbin Independent School District provided the News Journal with a statement early Tuesday morning regarding the accident, which reads as follows:

“Yesterday afternoon around 5:00pm, there was a tragic accident involving a Corbin Primary student. The young man was at his home playing basketball and the goal structure he was playing on, collapsed and fell on top of him. The student was transported to the UK hospital and later passed away. Our most heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends.”

Since the accident, a flood of social media posts by friends, family members and supporters in the local community identify the student as Eli Hill.

Chad Estep, assistant with the Corbin High School baseball team and father of former Redhound and current New York Met Chase Estep, provided a statement to the News Journal Tuesday reflecting on time he spent with Hill, saying, “He would hit with Chase and myself when Chase completed his minor league season in Florida. Of course, he was there to learn from Chase, but he also allowed me to enjoy what a wonderful human being he was.”

“There are so many things about him that made him such a joy to be around,” Estep added. “He never entered the building to work out without a huge smile on his face. He actually ran into the building on a few occasions due to his excitement to be around the other kids, who would all fight and try to pull him into their hitting group because he was so friendly and caring towards others.”

“His ‘ginger mohawk’ was always a laughable discussion with the other boys,” said Estep. “He was very detail oriented, and would always place his equipment neatly in his bag. He never forgot a thing. He was just incredibly outgoing, and was a kid that always found a way to make others smile and enjoy what they were doing.”

Hill was a member of the Corbin Bombers travel baseball team. Coach Jeromy Case said, “He was just a very well-mannered and coachable kid. I told him three or four times lately that he was the most improved player on our team. He worked hard, and played with a lot of passion.”

“It’s heart-breaking,” Case said of the tragedy. “I have cried all night and all morning. He was just a real special kid. He had the grit, and the ‘want-to.’ For an eight-year-old kid to work hard like he did, it was special to watch.”

Case said that Hill and the Bombers won their first championship together two weeks ago at a tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee.

In addition to baseball, Hill was also active in other sports, such as basketball and soccer. Grace on the Hill Youth Pastor Luke Osborne had the opportunity to coach Hill in basketball for one season, and says that the church is now making plans to honor his memory by retiring his jersey numbers.

“He was always paying attention, and ready to listen,” Osborne said of Hill. “After our first practice, he warmed right up. From there, he always came in with a big smile on his face, and was just excited to play with his buddies, whether it was for practice or in a game.”

“He had a sweet sprit,” Osborne added. “And I am so glad that I got the opportunity to coach him, even though it was for a short span of time.”

As previously mentioned, Osborne said that the Grace Sports league is currently making plans to retire two numbers – 33 for basketball, and 45 for soccer – that Hill wore while he competed. He said those jerseys will be framed and displayed in the gym at Grace on the Hill in Hill’s honor.

Osborne and other spiritual leaders in the local community have been busy Tuesday visiting schools and talking to students about this tragic situation. When asked what message he is sharing with those young people right now, he said, “Things happen that we can’t understand, and we don’t have the answer, but we do have an answer in Jesus Christ. During trying times like this, it is important to support each other as a community, but it is also important for us to keep our eyes on Jesus. He can offer us the peace that we need.”

Visitation services for Eli Hill will be Thursday, March 23 from 5-8 p.m. at Hart Funeral Home of Corbin. Funeral services will be Friday, March 24 at 11 a.m.