College of Osteopathic Medicine volunteer James D. Ball died Tuesday night of injuries that police believe he received after falling off his roof.

Ball, 23, of Cuyahoga Falls, was discovered by a neighbor at about 7 a.m. Tuesday outside his residence, 21 Marietta Ave., with a severe head injury and was transported to Grant Medical Center.

He died that night at 9:45, a media relations representative from the hospital said.

It appeared that Ball had accidentally fallen off his roof, but the case is still under investigation, according to the Athens Police Department. No one has come forward with any information about the incident.

Ball was a 2008 OU graduate who studied community health. He was serving as an AmeriCorp volunteer through the College of Osteopathic Medicine, said Nancy Schell, AmeriCorps director for ComCorps, the AmeriCorps program in the College of Osteopathic Medicine. Ball was one of 20 volunteers in ComCorps.

He volunteered at the Athens City-County Health Department and hoped to use his experience through AmeriCorps to become a registered sanitarian, Schell said. As part of his work with the health department, Ball helped with vision screenings at local schools and enjoyed working with children, Schell said.

“He was a very solid worker and he kept his word,” Schell said. “He was a great member of our team and a great fit for his site. I really feel the group and myself were fortunate to be able to (know him).”

Ball was cremated and a memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow at the First United Methodist Church in Cuyahoga Falls.

ComCorps is working with the College of Health and Human Services and the City-County Health Department to set up a scholarship fund in Ball’s honor. The scholarship will provide paid internships to students studying health studies who want to intern at the City-County Health Department, Schell said.