Miami first-year Sean VanDyne, who was in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center following a single-vehicle crash on Saturday, passed away during the night, according to a statement released by VanDyne's family.
VanDyne was studying accountancy at the Farmer School of Business, but discovered a love of art and had recently decided to switch his major, his family said. He had plans of pursuing a career as an FBI agent following his graduation.
He married his childhood sweetheart, Rachel, on Aug. 17, shortly before beginning their first year at Miami together. In the family's statement, Rachel described her husband as always wanting to help others.
"If anyone ever had a problem, they would call Sean. That's just how he was," Rachel said.
Sean's elderly widowed next-door neighbor Sue Pate attested to this.
"I called on him to help me with a number of different things," Pate said, "He changed the canister of gas for me, and helped out whenever I asked him."
In addition to his studies, VanDyne worked at Skyline Chili, a job he held all throughout high school, according to Hamilton High School teacher Chris Napier. VanDyne attended Hamilton High along with his Ben "Big Ben" Flick, who was his best friend since the second grade, according to the statement.
Flick, who was a first-year student at the University of Cincinnati (UC) was also in the accident and passed away on Saturday. Two other UC students were hospitalized following the accident as well.
Both VanDyne and Flick were well-known and respected at their high school, both as athletes and as students.
"VanDyne was a highly respected kid, a very hard worker," VanDyne's football coach Bob Jacoby said. "And I had a really close relationship with Ben even after I left [Hamilton High School]. It breaks my heart to see two young lives changed like this."
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