Accident prompts school skylights review

By BRIDGET CARTER

The last time Wiremu Karena had feeling in his legs was in the moments before tumbling through a perspex window at Whangaroa College.

About 2.30 in the afternoon he climbed on to a roof to retrieve a rugby ball then stumbled on to a skylight.

The skylight collapsed and he fell about 4m to the floor, landing on his back before bouncing on to his side.

Wiremu, 15, remembers the painful impact of the fall, the drowsy feeling after being knocked out for a few seconds and the feeling of nothing except pins and needles in his legs and feet.

He is now in the Auckland Spinal Unit, where he lies paralysed from the waist down more than two weeks later.

The talented Far North rugby player is dealing with the reality he is likely to never walk again, as are his family, who have sent a letter about the matter to the Ministry of Education.

His accident has now prompted a review by the ministry into the safety of skylights on all school buildings and an investigation by Occupational Safety and Health.


The Northland representative rugby player said teachers told him not to go on to the roof, but "I just wanted to get my ball from up there".

Wiremu's mother, Harriet, said: "We live and hope."

But she had been told by doctors that the longer Wiremu went without feeling in his legs, the chances of him ever walking again decreased.

Mrs Karena said her son was a twin who would be spurred on to do something once told he was not allowed to and she did not blame the school.

But she wanted the school to change things so that others would not be injured.

Northland's ministry manager, Chris Eve, said the ministry would now look at the safety of skylights because there always had to be some sort of consideration about ways to prevent injury or harm.

But he said he was unsure what the ministry could do.

It was up to school boards to ensure health and safety requirements were met.