A 14-year-old West Texas boy is dead after he ran into a bull statue on the Texas Tech University campus and impaled himself on one of its horns.

University spokesman Chris Cook says Miguel Martinez impaled himself while playing hide-and-seek with friends in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday morning. Reports indicate that the teen pierced his chest.

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"He just happened to trip over one to the lights. I guess he lost his balance and he went straight down on one of the horns," Judith Leseburg, the teen's mother, told NBCDFW.com. A friend of the teen's also told the station that he laid beside Martinez after the incident.

"I put my jacket over him and just held him tight and told him I loved him," the friend said.

Campus police say Martinez was at the museum with two adults and two minors when police were called to the scene. Police say Martinez was running on the National Ranching Heritage Museum on the Texas Tech campus when the horn pierced his chest.

"We extend heartfelt sympathies to Miguel's family and friends after this tragic accident. Anytime unforeseen accidents occur, we review our policies, practices, and even our facilities to determine if any changes are needed to avoid similar events in the future," the school said in a statement.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report