PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A freshman at Temple University has died from injuries he suffered after falling from a light pole Sunday evening during Eagles championship celebrations in Center City.
Video captured the moment that 18-year-old Tyler Sabapathy fell from a light pole at 15th and Market streets. It shows him hitting a fellow pole climber on the way down. Authorities said he landed on his head, sending him to the hospital in critical condition.
The university said he died from his injuries on Tuesday. A statement from Temple President John Fry and school leadership said Sabapathy majored in exercise and sports science and was an accomplished gymnast before coming to Temple.
The Toronto native won more than 120 medals in competitions across Canada and the world. He kept that up as a member of Temple’s gymnastics club, but his real passion was his studies in injury prevention.
“The loss of a promising 18-year-old man like Tyler is both tragic and traumatic,” Fry said in the statement. “There are no words that can make sense of it, and the entire Temple community mourns his passing. … He no doubt had a bright future ahead of him, and it is so tragic that we will not be able to see how he would have made his mark on the world.”
Counseling services are available for students mourning his death.