In Hanford, California, 8-year-old James Harrah stood out on Monday, sporting an arm sling for his broken clavicle and a noticeable black eye.
“The only thing I remember is leaving school when suddenly, the roof came crashing down,” James recalled.
He was at Washington Elementary School, waiting to be picked up, when the unexpected incident occurred.
Out of nowhere, part of the ceiling stucco in the school’s amphitheater gave way and collapsed.
“As James was walking by, the entire section fell on him. It seemed like one piece hit his head, knocking him over, and then another piece landed on him while he was on the ground,” explained his mother, Diana Harrah.
Two students were struck by the falling debris. Fortunately, both were taken to the hospital and were discharged on the same day.
Harrah, who is a school nurse at a different district, recalled getting the frightening call from her husband, Shawn Harrah, who was there to pick up their son.
“I was able to get there, check on him, talk to him and let him know I was there. And I got ahold of her as quickly as I could,” Shawn Harrah said.
“I know, when I got the call, my heart just dropped. And I was so scared. I raced quite a bit, quite fast to get here,” Diana Harrah said.
The school district released a statement, explaining that the school is closed until Dec. 1.
On Tuesday, engineers and an architect inspected the building.
Diana Harrah is feeling grateful for the prompt response from the staff and first responders.
“We are incredibly thankful that certain things happened, part of the wall, the barrier that took part of the weight and his backpack. His books were bent in half, and they were pretty thick. So I feel he had an armor on him with his backpack,” Diana Harrah said.
Despite suffering a concussion and some bruising, James Harrah is keeping a positive attitude and looking forward to seeing his friends in a few weeks.
“I think they might be impressed because a roof fell on me,” Harrah said.
Students will continue learning remotely.
In the meantime, the family said they hope this never happens again.
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