A student at Dover Secondary School in Nanaimo fell about five metres through an open grate Thursday, breaking his leg.
The opening was part of a larger grated area that provides air intake for the school.
The vice-principal scrambled through the opening to tend to the student until emergency crews arrived.
“Right away, obviously, he checked on the student to see if he was fine,” said Dale Burgos, spokesman for the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district.
Burgos said officials are thankful that the student was conscious throughout the incident, which began about 9 a.m. “It could have gone so much worse.”
Deputy Chief Martin Drakely of Nanaimo Fire Rescue said the area where the student fell is covered by a series of grates.
“They’re probably 12 feet by 12 feet, but the grate itself that was open was about 24 inches, so two feet by two feet,” Drakely said.
Firefighters and B.C. Ambulance paramedics extricated the student.
Drakely said it is not known why the grate was open.
“We had WorkSafe, RCMP and school safety all investigating,” he said.
“From the size of the grate and the holes in it, there’s no way you can actually get in there to grab a hold of the lock to be able to undo it.”
Assistant superintendent Scott Saywell said school staff and first responders did a good job dealing with the situation.
Burgos said the district is working to determine how the incident came about.
“The district is investigating, looking into the matter and taking it very seriously,” he said.
School staff are meeting with students in an effort to locate more witnesses, Burgos said.
