Mercer Island student Eliot Abramson dies from lacrosse accident
Eliot Abramson, a Mercer Island High School sophomore, died Sunday from injuries sustained during a lacrosse showcase event last week. His death marks at least the second time in the past year a high school student has died from a lacrosse injury.
The Mercer Island Reporter, citing a letter from MIHS School administrators, wrote Abramson was participating in a college lacrosse recruiting event - apparently the Northwest's Best recruiting showcase - at Islander Stadium on June 1.
Abramson was listed as a midfielder on the MIHS 2026 roster. He was 6-foot-2 and graduating in 2028, according to his Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association's recruiting website.
His personal statement reads, "I've had a stick in my hand for as long as I can remember, following my older brother and my dad, who both played lacrosse.
Per the Mercer Island Reporter, Abramson was critically injured when he was struck in the back of the neck, below his helmet, by a lacrosse ball. He lost consciousness and paramedics were called.
According to an Instagram letter posted by Eliot's mother Jessica Abramson-Lott and signed by stepfather Jeremy Lott and their five other children, a firefighter "kept Eliot's heart beating" before he was transferred to Harborview Medical Center for surgery, but his injuries were too severe and he died Sunday.
"Eliot got his driver's license a few months back and made the courageous decision to be an organ donor, a decision we now honor," Jessica's post read. "We are proud of this decision and the fact that he will be saving many lives.
"While Eliot's time on earth will end way too soon, we are comforted that he will be in heaven with his dad, making him laugh, playing music with his smile lighting up the room. We're sure he'll be doing ‘wall ball' in the sky and rooting for all his friends."
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Eliot was three years old when his father Josef (Joey) Abramson, co-founder of The Fitness Outlet, died at 44 from cancer.
Lacrosse is not under the umbrella of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA). Washington High School Boys Lacrosse Association (WHSBLA) is the governing body for boys' lacrosse in the state.
The MIHS program could not be reached for comment.
A second, tragic accident in just over a year had some lacrosse fans calling for better helmet technology this weekend. On May 6, 2025, Dylan Veselic, a 16-year-old Ohio sophomore, was hit by a ball while playing in a Bay High School lacrosse game and died days later. He was trying to block another player's shot when the ball hit him in the back of his head, below his helmet, reported WKYC-TV.
Veselic's death was later attributed to a blunt-force injury to his craniocervical area, where the skull meets the upper spine, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office. The Bay High School boys' lacrosse team later canceled the rest of its season.
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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 4:50 PM.