Football coach hit by SUV driven by student on Downey High track

A Downey High football coach was injured Saturday morning when a student driving on the track lost control of his sport-utility vehicle, witnesses said.

Principal Richard Baum said assistant coach Doug Holt never lost consciousness and was alert and talking when getting into an ambulance. Football players said Holt suffered a shoulder injury and the driver appeared to have only minor injuries but was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

The teen, whose name was withheld because he was under 18, had been delivering supplies for Saturday night’s prom to a large tent erected on the field. Football players were running drills on another section of the playing area.

Holt was sitting on a bench at the edge of the field when the SUV slid off the track, slamming into his bench before flipping onto its roof and landing near the 30-yard line, witnesses said. Early estimates put the speed of the vehicle at about 35 mph.

The young driver was able to crawl out of the overturned vehicle.

Students were all around, and the driver appeared to be showing off, Baum said, adding, “He’s one of our best kids, a leadership kid. It’s just a mistake. They need to know they are not Superman. The laws of physics still apply.”

This story was originally published May 9, 2015 at 11:37 AM with the headline "Football coach hit by SUV driven by student on Downey High track."