Three students attending the Atlantic Middle School were injured Wednesday, when a light fixture in a recently renovated classroom fell on them. Atlantic Superintendent Michael Amstine said he received word about the incident happening in the third floor classroom, at around 9 A.M.
He says two students suffered from scratches, while another had a bump on the head. The trio were treated by the school nurse. One student was subsequently transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic, for additional examination and treatment.
All three students were back in school today. Amstine says an investigation found the problem. “The electrical contractor for the project came up yesterday and checked all the lights and took a look at the one that actually failed,” Amstine says.
“It appears that there were two sets of lights that weren’t installed to the specs, and that appears to be what cause the failure of the one yesterday morning.” The fixture that fell, was in four sections, and fell in a type of “domino effect,” according to Amstine.
He said it’s not the type of thing one expects to happen after an expensive renovation project has taken place. “Oh good lord no, and my experience in renovation and construction projects, that’s kind of a first for me. The good news is that no one was seriously injured, because it certainly had some potential to have ended that way,” Amstine says.
He says the contractor’s insurance is expected to handle any medical or property damages.
By Rich Hanson, KJAN, Atlantic