When we send our children off to school in the morning, we assume they will return home safely, but a recent incident in the Peel District shows that, unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. During what appeared to be a typical school day at Rick Hansen Secondary School in Mississauga, a student was seriously injured because the school did not take proper safety precautions to protect its students.

The incident occurred during an April 2014 manufacturing program class, when a teacher brought a metal industrial shear weighing over 400 pounds to school without notifying administrators. Although the shear’s warning label emphasized that it needed to be bolted and secured to the table it was placed on in order to be safe, it was not secured. When three students were asked to remove caster wheels from the metal table where the industrial shear had been placed, the shear fell from the table and landed on a student’s back. Prior to being asked to remove the wheels, the students were not informed that the shear had not been secured. In addition, they were not instructed to place the shear on the floor before removing the table’s wheels.

The student received a fracture and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. In the resulting court case, the Peel District School Board pled guilty to charges and was fined $50,000 by Brampton Court Justice of the Peace Donald Dudar. The District admitted to failing to protect students, especially by not securing the shear. A 25% per victim fine surcharge was also instituted under the Provincial Offences Act.

Although school injuries are often unexpected because they are relatively uncommon, it’s important to know how to respond if your child is injured in an accident while at school. If you feel the school was responsible for the injury, one of the best ways to know the proper steps to take is to contact a personal injury lawyer for advice. If your child has been injured, contact a personal injury attorney to learn more about your legal rights.