Radiator falls, hurts 5 at Chaska school

A Chaska kindergarten student suffered a broken leg after being hit by a large radiator that fell from the ceiling of his classroom.

Star Tribune

Last update: February 15, 2008 - 10:02 PM

A Chaska kindergarten student suffered a broken leg after being hit by a large radiator that fell from the ceiling of his classroom.

Two other students and two teachers at Guardian Angels Catholic School in Chaska also were injured when the 400 -pound apparatus fell Thursday afternoon as students were preparing for a Valentine's Day party. They had minor scrapes and did not need medical treatment, said Nancy Ronhovde, the school's principal.

The incident could have been much worse, she said. The 2-foot by 5-foot heater ricocheted off pipes on the ceiling and did not come straight down.

"That would have been deadly," she said. "Being a Catholic school, we gathered in prayer and explained to the students what happened because there was a lot of trauma around the building."

Preschool classes that meet in the basement of the 100-year-old building were canceled Friday. Parents helped move supplies to a church across the street so kindergarten classes for 26 students could continue.

Ronhovde said the lowest level of the school at 217 W. 2nd St. will not be used until experts deem it safe.

TIM HARLOW

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