An 8-year-old student is recovering after a piece of ceiling stucco suddenly collapsed at Washington Elementary School in Hanford, California, as he waited for his dad to pick him up.
The incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. local time on Monday, Nov. 10, when part of the outdoor amphitheater structure gave way without warning, according to reports from ABC affiliate KABC, The Hanford Sentinel and NBC affiliate KSEE.
“All I remember is when I was going out from school, the roof fell on me,” said James Harrah, who spoke with KABC alongside his parents, Diana and Shawn Harrah.
James suffered a concussion, a broken clavicle and a black eye.
“As he was walking by, the whole thing kind of collapsed on him,” Diana explained to the outlet. She said one large piece struck his head and knocked him to the ground, followed by another piece falling on top of him.
School staff rushed to help both students who were hit, and first responders arrived within minutes. They were taken to the hospital for evaluation and later released that evening.
Shawn, who arrived at the school for pickup, reached his son quickly and notified Diana. She said she “raced” to get to James after learning what happened, calling the moment terrifying.
“We are incredibly thankful that certain things happened — part of the wall, the barrier that took part of the weight and his backpack,” she shared. She added that his thick schoolbooks absorbed some of the impact, almost like “armor.”
The school district arranged for an architect and structural engineers to assess the building the next day. Students will temporarily shift to remote learning until Dec. 1 while the campus remains closed for safety evaluations, KABC reported.
“The District takes the safety of our students and staff very seriously,” Hanford Elementary School District Superintendent Joy Gabler said in a statement to the Sentinel. “We are grateful for the quick action of Washington staff and local emergency services. We look forward to welcoming our students back at the start of December.”
As he rests at home, James says he’s eager to return to school and reunite with his classmates.
“I think they might be impressed because a roof fell on me,” he told KABC.
