Toad-Hunting Boy Hit by Golf Club, Killed

The poisonous cane toad has plagued Australia for the past several years, and while authorities recommend getting rid of the pests as humanely as possibly, i.e. by placing them in refrigerators and then freezers, kids sometimes go hunting for them with golf clubs. Such was the context when tragedy struck in Brisbane Saturday. Three boys, including 13-year-old Zeke Douglas, were hunting the toads at a former golf course when Zeke was fatally struck on the head by one of the clubs, reports the Courier Mail. It is being reported as a bizarre and freak accident.

Zeke dropped to the ground and immediately went into cardiac arrest, and his panicked friends called for his mother, who was the first to arrive on the scene and perform CPR until paramedics arrived. While they were able to get his heart started again, he never regained consciousness and had suffered significant head injuries. His family elected to turn off life support on Tuesday. The boy's classmates had worn blue that day as they were hoping for his recovery, reports news.com.au, while his principal said in a statement that the school community is "deeply shocked" and providing guidance counselors for support. (A teen was killed last month after falling into an open sewer.)