Boy, 9, loses finger in fall at school, family says
WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. (KSDK) - A Missouri family is looking for answers after a 9-year-old boy lost a finger at school when it hit the edge of a filing cabinet.
The family’s attorney, Tim Engelmeyer, says they were only told 9-year-old DJ Williams had a “gash,” but it ended up being much more serious. The Bristol Elementary student fell at school Monday afternoon, and his finger was taken off in the process.
“I’ve seen the pictures. The pictures show, literally, a finger hanging on a file cabinet,” Engelmeyer said. “More or less cut, removed from his hand, on a very sharp edge of what appears to be a computer filing cabinet.”
The attorney says school leaders called DJ’s grandfather and said he “had suffered a gash.”
When his grandpa picked DJ up from school, the boy’s hand was wrapped up in a paper towel, Engelmeyer says. The 9-year-old was taken to several doctors before heading to St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
“There was some concern initially that he may lose the whole hand,” Engelmeyer said.
For now, DJ’s middle finger on his right, dominant hand has been amputated.
Engelmeyer says the boy’s family believes more could have been done.
“Now, they didn’t have the rest of the finger, which is one of the questions or issues that the family has is ‘Why was the finger still attached to the file cabinet?’ The biggest red flag to me is ‘Why wasn’t 911 called immediately?’ And then, there’s always the other question is ‘Why is anything this sharp even available for a 9-year-old to hurt himself on?’”
Many questions remain about the incident, and as the family waits for answers, they are doing everything they can to be there for DJ.
“They’re trying to keep spirits upbeat for their son, who has suffered an injury that’s going to affect him for a very long time,” Engelmeyer said.
Webster Groves School District says it is investigating the accident and cannot provide any other details at this time.
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