School Amphitheater Collapse Leaves Pupil with Head Injury
A young pupil's ordinary school day turned into a terrifying ordeal when part of an outdoor amphitheater's ceiling collapsed on him at George Washington Elementary School in Hanford, California. The incident occurred on Monday while eight-year-old James Harrah was waiting to be collected from school.
James sustained a concussion and bruising from the falling stucco. He recounted to news outlets, "All I remember is when I was going out from school, the roof fell on me." He was pictured with his arm in a sling following the accident.
Parental Panic and a Backpack's Role
James's mother, Diana Harrah, provided more harrowing details, explaining the roof gave way as her son was simply walking past the structure. "It sounded like the one piece landed on top of his head and that knocked him over, and then another piece landed on top of him after he fell," she said.
The Hanford Elementary School District confirmed that a second child was also injured in the sudden collapse. Both children were rushed to a local hospital but were fortunately released later the same day.
James's father, Shawn, was already en route to the school and was able to arrive quickly at the scene. "I was able to get there, check on him, talk to him and let him know I was there," he stated, adding that he immediately called his wife.
Diana described her heart dropping when she received the call, saying, "I was so scared. I raced quite a bit, quite fast to get here." She expressed immense gratitude for the school staff's swift response and the emergency services who arrived on the scene within minutes.
In a remarkable turn, Diana believes her son's backpack acted as a form of protection. "His books were bent in half and they were pretty thick," she explained. "So I feel he had an armour on him with his backpack."
School Closure and Community Trauma
The event left other children who witnessed it visibly shaken. Eugene Reyes, a parent of another pupil, said his son saw the roof "fall on the poor kid" and heard a "big boom." "He's a little shook up still by it," Reyes added, noting his son was too traumatised to discuss it.
In response to the collapse, the Hanford Elementary School District has suspended in-person classes through at least 1st December. Students will engage in remote learning while the facility is inspected by engineers and architects.
District officials released a statement saying, "We've opted to temporarily close the campus and implement our emergency learning plan." They also praised the quick actions of school staff and first responders.
Despite the fright, young James is looking forward to returning to school to see his friends, quipping, "I think they might be impressed because a roof fell on me." The district says it looks forward to welcoming students back to campus at the start of December.
