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HANFORD, Calif. — Eight-year-old James Harrah, sporting a black eye and a sling for his fractured collarbone, recounted a harrowing Monday afternoon incident.
“The moment I walked out of school, the roof just came down on me,” Harrah recalled.
James was at Washington Elementary School in Hanford, California, waiting for his ride home when disaster struck unexpectedly.
Suddenly, part of the stucco ceiling in the school’s amphitheater gave way and collapsed.
“As he walked by, the entire structure seemed to give way above him,” explained James’ mother, Diana Harrah. “It sounded like one piece hit his head, knocking him down, and then another piece fell on him while he was on the ground.”
The debris hit two students. Both were taken to the hospital and released 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.
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“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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