8-Year-Old Left Bruised as Ceiling Crashes on Him at School

A young child suffered a concussion and some bruises after a section of his elementary school's ceiling fell on him. James Harrah, aged ...

A young child suffered a concussion and some bruises after a section of his elementary school's ceiling fell on him.

James Harrah, aged eight, had been waiting to be collected at George Washington Elementary School in Hanford,Californiaon Monday, a section of the ceiling stucco from the school's outdoor amphitheater unexpectedly fell down,ABC 7 reports. 

"All I recall is when I was leaving school, the roof collapsed on me," he told the news channel, his arm still in a sling from the injuries he suffered.

However, his mother, Diana Harrah, stated that the roof fell down as her son was merely passing by the amphitheater.

"It sounded as if a piece landed on his head and caused him to fall, and then another piece hit him while he was already on the ground," she said.

A second child was also harmed when the roof suddenly collapsed, according to the Hanford Elementary School District.

Both were taken to a nearby hospital and were fortunate enough to be discharged on the same day.

Nevertheless, the Harrah family stated they were left in fear due to the event.

James's father, Shawn, explained that he was already en route to the school to collect him when the ceiling gave way.

He described how he managed to arrive, check on him, speak with him, and let him know he was present," he said, adding that he called his wife "as soon as possible.

After she found out what had occurred, Diana remarked, "my heart sank, and I was extremely frightened."

"I ran a lot, very quickly to get here," she recalled.

The anxious mother stated that she is now simply thankful for the school staff's prompt reaction and the emergency personnel who arrived at the location quickly.

"We are extremely grateful that specific events occurred," Diana stated, noting that her son's backpack assisted in reducing the load he carried.

His books were folded in half and they were quite thick," she said. "So I think he had some kind of protection with his backpack.

However, the children who observed the horrifying event were also deeply affected.

Eugene Reyes, a parent whose child was present during the incident,told Fox 26His son witnessed the roof "crash down on the unfortunate child" and heard a "loud explosion."

"The child wasn't moving, and you know, they had to take everything out," Reyes said.

He's still a bit shaken by it," the concerned father went on. "I asked him if he wanted to come and discuss it, but he's still upset about it.

With the children now recovering, officials from the Hanford Elementary School District stated that in-person classes will be halted until at least December 1, with students participating in online learning during this period.

The district officials informed Fox 26 that they have decided to temporarily shut down the campus and activate their emergency learning strategy, adding that engineers and architects examined the building on Tuesday.

They added, expressing appreciation for the prompt response by Washington staff and local emergency personnel, highlighting that police officers, firefighters, and an ambulance arrived at the location within minutes of the incident, offering immediate assistance.

The local authorities mentioned that they "anticipate greeting our students back on campus at the beginning of December."

James also mentioned that he is eager to reunite with his friends face-to-face once more.

"I believe they could be impressed since a roof collapsed on me," he stated.

Read more

• How is Anderson School District Two supporting distressed students and their families following a tragic accident that resulted in the loss of a young life?
• What was the response of emergency services to the sudden collapse of a 15-year-old student at school?
• What caused a tranquil school outing to become a horrifying incident when a large branch struck students?
• Traumatized and swollen: How is the 13-year-old faring after being attacked at school?
• Breathtaking incident: How did a young child end up involved in a caravan crash during a school outing, resulting in severe injuries?