Boy, 13, Dies After Collapsing in P.E. Class

A 13-year-old boy died Wednesday after collapsing during a half-mile run in physical education class at a La Habra middle school, officials said.

Paramedics took Carlos Ruiz to St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton, where he was pronounced dead about 3:30 p.m.

Betty Bidwell, principal at Imperial Middle School, said the eighth-grader had no medical problems the school was aware of. She said he was “a wonderful boy” who loved to play soccer. Counselors will be available at the school today for students and teachers, she said.

Authorities told the family that Carlos had been running around the track when he suddenly stopped, put his hand on his chest, complained of pain and collapsed. Although a teacher gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, said his aunt, Martha Ruiz, the boy died on the way to the hospital.

An eighth-grade girl said she looked behind her while running and saw Carlos fall. P.E. teachers clustered around the boy as the principal and a nurse came running.

The other runners gathered on the asphalt, she said. About 50 gathered in a circle to pray while paramedics tried to resuscitate the boy, the student said.

At the hospital Wednesday evening, a dozen of Carlos’ family members, many carrying rosaries, gathered to pray and offer each other support.

“He was very friendly,” Ruiz said, wiping away tears. “He was always doing errands for the neighbors and never complained about anything. He was a nice little boy.”

Cecilia Medina, Carlos’ 17-year-old sister, said her brother was always polite and liked school.

“He didn’t like running,” she said. “He was chubby, so he was kind of slow.”

On Wednesday afternoon, she said, the family was relaxing at home, just a few blocks from school, when they heard sirens.

“My mother said, ‘Oh, something must have happened at Imperial,’ ” she said. “Then we got the call from the school.”

The only health problem Carlos had, family members said, was a liver condition for which he had had surgery at age 2. The boy’s doctors were considering another operation for the condition.

“I expected anything but this,” his aunt said. “He was a healthy boy.”

Times correspondents Louise Roug, Young Chang, Thuy-Doan Le, Tariq Malik and Luladey B. Tadesse contributed to this report.