Five Oklahoma City students injured in ledge collapse

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Five middle school boys were injured Friday, none critically, when a cinder block wall they were sitting on gave way near a football field, officials said.<br/><br/>Most of the injuries

Friday, May 20th 2005, 10:31 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Five middle school boys were injured Friday, none critically, when a cinder block wall they were sitting on gave way near a football field, officials said.

Most of the injuries were cuts and scrapes. One of the students has a possible broken bone, said Shannon Goodsell, superintendent for Crooked Oak Schools.

"The good news is, it's minor injuries," Goodsell said.

The boys, ages 11 to 14, were involved in a physical education class and nearby coaches immediately came to their aid. No one was trapped in the accident, which occurred about 9:30 a.m.

The wall formed the front of a concession stand at the field. The students were sitting on the wall's top ledge, which served as a counter for the stand. An 8- to 10-foot section of the wall fell forward.

The students were brought to area hospitals. Their parents were notified and were with them at the hospitals.

Ernest Staton, a groundskeeper, said he saw one boy whose leg was bleeding and another who had to be helped from the debris by coaches because his foot was under some bricks.

Goodsell said it's not clear why the wall collapsed. Structural engineers will be brought in to investigate and a contractor doing other work at the school will repair the wall and make sure it is safe, he said.

The ledge was not off-limits to students, but will be in the future, Goodsell said.

The accident occurred at the Crooked Oak School complex in an industrial and working class area of southeast Oklahoma City. The complex includes an elementary school, a middle school and a high school.

Crooked Oak School was founded in 1893 to educate the children of oil field workers employed in the area. The district has 1,200 students. The school year ends on May 31.