Gate falls on girl, 13, at Carapichaima school

A 13-year-old girl was injured on Monday when a gate fell and knocked her to the ground shortly after she arrived at school in Carapichaima.

Her mother told Newsday by phone on Monday afternoon, "She hit her hands. She is in pain. The gate also hit her in the back of her head. Her head is hurting."

The mother said it happened shortly before 8 am. She was not present.

"I got a call from the school saying she hit her head, but I only got details when I reached the school. I was not able to see the gate."

She said she took her daughter to the Freeport Health Centre, but added, "I might have an uncle check her out, because he is a paediatrician.

"I might even make a police report, because this should not be taken lightly,"

The mother of three, a businesswoman, asked for her and her daughter’s names not to be used.

The form two student was standing near the gate in the auditorium. From what the mother was told, a staff member tried to close it, but it fell and hit the girl from behind.

"If she was smaller, she would have been badly injured.

"I have home-schooled my children for the last seven years. This is the first day they went to school in the public system in seven years, and this happened," the mother said.

She said she intends to write to the Education Ministry about the incident.