Girl, 5, dies in school accident - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

catlover79 · 10-08-2009, 10:43 AM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091008/...abinet_topples

WACO, Texas – A large open cabinet with children playing inside toppled on a 5-year-old girl at a Texas middle school, killing her.

The accident occurred Wednesday in the gymnasium at G.L. Wiley Middle School in Waco. School district official Dale Caffey says two or three children, including 5-year-old Princanna (prihn-SA'-nah) Strain, climbed into the rolling, portable cabinet while chasing a lizard. That's when the cabinet toppled on Princanna.

She was pronounced dead at a hospital. No other students were injured.

Princanna was a kindergartner at J.H. Hines Elementary School. Hines students have been relocated to Wiley while a new elementary school is being built.

Counselors are at Wiley to console the Hines students, staff and faculty.

MickeyMac · 10-08-2009, 03:10 PM

How tragic.

OH Nuts! · 10-08-2009, 03:39 PM

How awful; her poor parents.

Chocoholic · 10-08-2009, 04:10 PM

How tragic

My prayers go out to her family.

I do have to wonder how many adults were supervising the children at the time of the accident. I know accidents do happen, but if the children weren't being supervised properly, then the school should be held responsible. This cabinet clearly wasn't a safe thing for the children to be playing with. I know things can happen in a heartbeat, but I've also seen teachers chatting with each other with their backs turned towards the children.

catlover79 · 10-08-2009, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chocoholic

How tragic

My prayers go out to her family.

I do have to wonder how many adults were supervising the children at the time of the accident. I know accidents do happen, but if the children weren't being supervised properly, then the school should be held responsible. This cabinet clearly wasn't a safe thing for the children to be playing with. I know things can happen in a heartbeat, but I've also seen teachers chatting with each other with their backs turned towards the children.

Exactly. Besides, why were they chasing a lizard? Makes me wonder if ANY faculty members were paying attention and minding the store.

blink · 10-08-2009, 06:04 PM

Very tragic

Sadly something similar happened a few years back at a Beaumont Texas daycare center, a little girl was killed by a large roll of paper towels when it fell off a shelf.
I agree, better supervision is defiantly needed in some cases.

Schmoopie · 10-11-2009, 05:51 AM

How awful! I agree that if the kids weren't being supervised then the school should definitely be held responsible. Since these kids were only in kindergarten and were being schooled at the junior high, this is very disturbing. I understand the need to relocate them but they should have had extra supervision. It should be common sense to give younger kids more supervision; especially if they were allowed to run free in the same areas as the junior high students.

It kind of scared me at first when I read that this happened in Texas because I was born and raised there, and my mom taught elementary school for well over 30 years. She would be devastated if she knew about this.

ZeldaGilroy · 10-11-2009, 10:02 AM

This is very sad. I feel awful for the little girl's family, her classmates who witnessed this, and the teacher who will feel guilty for the rest of her life.

I will say that as a first grade teacher the one year I had to relocate my class to the highschool because of renovations on my building was the WORST year of my teaching career and the most dangerous for the kids. In an elementary school we are used to furniture being secured, outlets being plugged, and room for kids to move and play. In upper-level buildings there is not that need for as many safety measures and therefore they are not available to you. I remember teaching how to count pennies and I had all the kids in groups on the floor. One girl grabbed a penny and tried to stick it in the electrical outlet. I was able to grab it away before anything happened because I was looking at her at the time. But there were 20 other kids and if I had been trying to help someone else she could have been electricuited. When you are monitoring so many children at once, anything can happen, especially when you are in a new place and possibly not familiar with all the lurking dangers. Maybe the teacher did not know the cabinet was not secure, maybe she was putting a bandaid of another child's knee or trying to deal with a kid who was screaming because there was a lizard loose in the room. I believe this probably was an accident, but I am surprised the teacher hasn't been sued yet for negligence. It is coming I am sure. Not that I feel the family doesn't deserve some sort of retribution on befalf of their daughter, but I would bet the school district is more to blame than anyone for putting little kids in the middle school in the first place.

10-08-2009, 10:43 AM	#1
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392	Girl, 5, dies in school accident http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091008/...abinet_topples WACO, Texas – A large open cabinet with children playing inside toppled on a 5-year-old girl at a Texas middle school, killing her. The accident occurred Wednesday in the gymnasium at G.L. Wiley Middle School in Waco. School district official Dale Caffey says two or three children, including 5-year-old Princanna (prihn-SA'-nah) Strain, climbed into the rolling, portable cabinet while chasing a lizard. That's when the cabinet toppled on Princanna. She was pronounced dead at a hospital. No other students were injured. Princanna was a kindergartner at J.H. Hines Elementary School. Hines students have been relocated to Wiley while a new elementary school is being built. Counselors are at Wiley to console the Hines students, staff and faculty.
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

10-11-2009, 05:51 AM	#7
Schmoopie Keep Calm and Love Snoopy Forum Star Join Date: Jul 13, 2008 Location: Lynnwood, Washington Posts: 15,697	How awful! I agree that if the kids weren't being supervised then the school should definitely be held responsible. Since these kids were only in kindergarten and were being schooled at the junior high, this is very disturbing. I understand the need to relocate them but they should have had extra supervision. It should be common sense to give younger kids more supervision; especially if they were allowed to run free in the same areas as the junior high students. It kind of scared me at first when I read that this happened in Texas because I was born and raised there, and my mom taught elementary school for well over 30 years. She would be devastated if she knew about this.
	__________________ In memory of my wonderful husband. I love and miss you more than words can say, but I will always and forever keep you in my heart. September 23, 1961-January 14, 2019

10-08-2009, 03:10 PM	#2
MickeyMac Member Forum Star Join Date: Jun 18, 2008 Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan Posts: 19,008	How tragic.

10-08-2009, 03:39 PM	#3
OH Nuts! Member Forum King Join Date: Feb 15, 2005 Posts: 133,383	How awful; her poor parents.

10-08-2009, 04:10 PM	#4
Chocoholic Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Between a rock and a hard place. Posts: 11,235	How tragic My prayers go out to her family. I do have to wonder how many adults were supervising the children at the time of the accident. I know accidents do happen, but if the children weren't being supervised properly, then the school should be held responsible. This cabinet clearly wasn't a safe thing for the children to be playing with. I know things can happen in a heartbeat, but I've also seen teachers chatting with each other with their backs turned towards the children.

10-08-2009, 06:04 PM	#6
blink Member Forum Regular Join Date: Apr 17, 2004 Location: Texarkana AR. Posts: 950	Very tragic Sadly something similar happened a few years back at a Beaumont Texas daycare center, a little girl was killed by a large roll of paper towels when it fell off a shelf. I agree, better supervision is defiantly needed in some cases.

10-11-2009, 10:02 AM	#8
ZeldaGilroy Dobie and Zelda Forever!!! Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 14, 2000 Location: I don't know...I'm probably lost! Posts: 4,144	This is very sad. I feel awful for the little girl's family, her classmates who witnessed this, and the teacher who will feel guilty for the rest of her life. I will say that as a first grade teacher the one year I had to relocate my class to the highschool because of renovations on my building was the WORST year of my teaching career and the most dangerous for the kids. In an elementary school we are used to furniture being secured, outlets being plugged, and room for kids to move and play. In upper-level buildings there is not that need for as many safety measures and therefore they are not available to you. I remember teaching how to count pennies and I had all the kids in groups on the floor. One girl grabbed a penny and tried to stick it in the electrical outlet. I was able to grab it away before anything happened because I was looking at her at the time. But there were 20 other kids and if I had been trying to help someone else she could have been electricuited. When you are monitoring so many children at once, anything can happen, especially when you are in a new place and possibly not familiar with all the lurking dangers. Maybe the teacher did not know the cabinet was not secure, maybe she was putting a bandaid of another child's knee or trying to deal with a kid who was screaming because there was a lizard loose in the room. I believe this probably was an accident, but I am surprised the teacher hasn't been sued yet for negligence. It is coming I am sure. Not that I feel the family doesn't deserve some sort of retribution on befalf of their daughter, but I would bet the school district is more to blame than anyone for putting little kids in the middle school in the first place.