BOSTON — C.K. Burns fourth-grader Matthew Cox has died as result of a traumatic brain injury from a zip-line injury last month.

Cox, 10, was riding on a backyard zip-line on Dec. 26 in Easton, Mass., when a pine tree to which it was attached to began to give way, according to Associated Press reports. He jumped off the zip-line and tried to run away, but was struck by the falling pine tree.

The Bristol County district attorney’s office said Cox died Friday afternoon at Children’s Hospital in Boston, where he had been taken after the Dec. 26 accident, according press reports. The prosecutor’s office said it was “a tragic accident.”

Cox and his family had been visiting relatives in Easton, Mass. for the holidays. The family had moved to Saco from Hanover, Mass. in September, according to the Associated Press.

“RSU 23 mourns the loss of young Matthew, and extends sincere condolences to his family,” said Regional School Unit Board Chairman Gary Curtis, in an email statement. “Support staff will be available for his school family at Burns School in Saco.”

Charles Marines, Cox’s teacher at C.K. Burns, described Cox earlier this month as a “kind boy that everyone looks up to,” and someone with a great sense of humor who loved to play sports.

According to his obituary, posted online by Sullivan Funeral Home in Hanover, Mass., Cox excelled in all sports including football, baseball, soccer, lacrosse and basketball, but his favorite sport was hockey.

Cox played in the Casco Bay Hockey Association’s Squirt Avalanche and Crush teams, according to Squirt Director Ace Malette.

Malette said earlier this month that Cox was not only one of the largest players in his division, but also one of the most skilled. Malette described Cox as “extremely coachable” and always eager to learn.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].