Coroner’s report: Extreme heat played role in Shane Thomas’ accidental death

The San Bernardino County Coroner’s Division has ruled the cause of death last August of Palisades High soccer player Shane Thomas as accidental after his body overheated. He was 17.

“Hyperthermia due to elevated environmental temperature,” according to the autopsy report.

Thomas was practicing at Ayala Park in Chino with his club team on the morning of Aug. 15, one of the hottest days of the summer. The temperature reached triple digits in the area.

He was discovered missing after practice, and later found unresponsive and not breathing near the park’s batting cages. He was pronounced dead at Chino Valley Medical Center.

The cause of death took months to be finalized because of a backlog of cases, according to a coroner’s spokeswoman.