Student injured in fall from second-story walkway at St. Johns County high school

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – A St. Johns County student was injured Tuesday after falling from a second-story walkway at Pedro Menendez High School.

A school district spokesperson said after the student fell, rescue crews responded and the student was flown to HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital with traumatic injuries.

It’s not clear how they fell, the spokesperson said. The student is expected to recover.

The district said the railing on the walkway that overlooks the interior courtyard is high for safety reasons.

Aerial view of Pedro Menendez High School shows view of second-floor walkway in courtyard. (Copyright 2023 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.)

Principal Clay Carmichael sent out an email to students and parents after the incident.

“Today we did have a medical emergency in our courtyard during 1st lunch. The student did not lose consciousness - however, the student, did sustain injuries in which the St. Johns County Fire Rescue medical personnel determined that life flight was needed for transport. We did take steps in order to manage confidentiality of that student. Once the scene was cleared we continued with a normal school day. Please ask your student not to post any social media in order that we can maintain that student’s medical confidentiality,” he wrote.

One parent said she didn’t like that the email sent to them told students not to post on social media. She feels like it’s the school’s way of downplaying the incident.

Some parents told News4JAX they came to school early to pick up their students because they said they weren’t feeling well after the incident. The parents said they just wanted to bring them home and comfort them.

Pedro Menendez High School (Copyright 2023 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.)

About the Author

Khalil Maycock joined the News4JAX team in November 2022 after reporting in Des Moines, IA.

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