College graduate, 22, crushed by car only hours after ceremony

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — A 22-year-old graduate of the University of Dayton died Sunday — just hours after he graduated — when a car fell on top of him.

Passersby reported finding the man, later identified as Ian Brunner, underneath the car just after 7 p.m., outside of a campus apartment building, according to Montgomery County Regional Dispatch.

Dispatch reported that the car had fallen off a jack, crushing Brunner.

The callers initially tried helping the victim before the arrival of emergency personnel. The Montgomery County Coroner was ultimately called to the scene.

University officials said Brunner, originally from Pittsburgh, had graduated from the University of Dayton earlier that day.

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Brunner, who graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering, had been active in a number of engineering programs and pursuits in recent years, including a motor sports club at the University of Dayton and a YouTube page called “Things I Build,” according to an online obituary.

A memorial for Brunner was held Monday at the University of Dayton’s Campus Ministry.

“This is a sudden and unexpected loss,” said Crystal Sullivan, the director of the campus ministry, during Monday’s memorial.

“Yesterday, graduation day, began in joyful celebration, marking the end of four-plus years of study and the beginning of the next phase of life for our graduates. New jobs, new relationships, new adventures. Causes to celebrate,” said Sullivan. “Yesterday ended in a tragic accident for one graduate, Ian Brunner, marking the end of his life with us and the beginning of his life with Jesus.”

Funeral services for Brunner are scheduled for Saturday in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, according to his obituary. His family says donations in Brunner’s name can be sent to the University of Dayton Ian Brunner Memorial Fund or the North Allegheny Foundation, the latter of which will fund the types of robotics and technology programs “which influenced Ian to study engineering.”

This incident remains under investigation by the University of Dayton Police Department.