Crisis counselors will be at a Fairfax County, Virginia, elementary school Monday after a 9-year-old boy was killed in a tragic accident in the school's gym.
Third-grader Wesley Lipicky was in the gym at Franconia Elementary School on Beulah Street in Alexandria about 4:45 p.m. Friday, when he and a teacher both pressed a button to open a large, motorized room partition, police said.
Lipicky was caught between the partition and a wall and suffered traumatic head injuries, police said. The partition did not malfunction, police said.
He died at a hospital Friday night, police said. An autopsy found his death was accidental.
Police say no charges are expected.
The schools superintendent stopped all use of the partitions while the accident is investigated and safety protocols are reviewed.
The school said safety protocols are in place but did not tell us what those were or whether they were followed. But children are not supposed to operate the partitions, the superintendent said.
The teacher is on administrative leave.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating.
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