Two children were seriously hurt late Friday night after falling from the roof of James L. Dennis Elementary School in Oklahoma City, where they had been sitting on a skylight before the fall. The children were rushed to the hospital, and authorities say one is in stable condition while the other remains in critical condition.
The fall happened around 11:30 p.m. Friday, according to News 9, which reported the incident citing the Oklahoma City Police Department. Police said two children were injured after falling from the elementary school roof, though the department has not released further details about how the children got onto the roof or what led up to the fall.
What Authorities Have Confirmed So Far
Both children were taken to the hospital following the fall, per the same police account relayed by News 9. Of the two, one child is listed in stable condition while the other is in critical condition, according to authorities. As of Saturday morning, no additional information — including the children's ages, identities, or the specifics of their injuries — had been released.
The circumstances that put the children on the roof of the elementary school, and specifically on top of a skylight, have not been detailed beyond the basic account that they were sitting there before the fall. It also remains unclear whether the school was in session or whether the incident occurred after hours, since the fall took place late at night on a Friday.
A Rare but Not Unprecedented Kind of Accident
Falls from school rooftops are unusual, but not without precedent elsewhere in the country. In 2013, a 13-year-old boy was taken to the hospital after falling through a skylight on the roof of Eckstein Middle School in North Seattle, where he and two other boys had reportedly been playing on the roof, according to the Seattle Police Department. That case, like the one in Oklahoma City, underscores how skylights on school buildings can pose a hidden hazard when climbed on or sat upon.
For now, the Oklahoma City case remains in its earliest stages, with no word on whether investigators are examining how the children accessed the roof or whether any further action is planned. Hoodline will update this story as more information becomes available.
