Damon Janes dies after helmet-to-helmet hit during HS football game

A 16-year-old high school football player from Brocton, New York died Monday after suffering a helmet-to-helmet collision during a game last week.

Damon W. Janes, a running back on the Westfield/Brocton football team, lost consciousness after taking the hit during Friday's game. He died at the Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo.

His parents, in a statement, expressed their “gratitude to those who have supported and prayed for Damon and his family.”

The cause of death has not yet been determined and it's not clear when an autopsy will be performed. According to the Buffalo News, public officials are still deciding how to manage the incident as it is the first of its kind to ever happen in Western New York.

A spokesman for the Education Department said the agency doesn't typically investigate such incidents. Other officials have said the investigation will begin with the high schools at the game.

Reports indicate that 25 high school football players suffered fatal injuries between 2003 and 2012.