Keeping school kids safe

Last March, my brother met a tricycle accident on his way home from school. He had come from rehearsing their class play. As is customary for many high school students here in the Philippines, he commuted home. He had done it countless times in the past, so we never imagined anything could come out of it.

At 7:40 that evening, just when I was getting ready for a massage, my mother called me up. With a panicky voice, she asked me to rush to the nearby hospital with some cash because my brother had gotten in an accident. All she said was that the tricycle he was riding had figured in a vehicular accident. I had no idea what to expect or how bad it was.

When I got to the hospital, I immediately heard my brother’s cries of pain. He had not yet been given any pain killers because they had no consent yet, and he was a minor. Upon walking into the curtained area, I saw him lying there, his face and clothing covered in a lot of blood. In his forehead was a large gash, several inches long. His forehead was protruded and his eyes seemed shrunken in to his head because of the swelling.

Thankfully, despite the bad way he looked, he didn’t suffer a concussion or have any major fractures. All he needed were 7 stitches and a lot of pain killers.

When the school found out about the accident, they immediately went to check on him and supported him in many ways. The accident happened a few days before final exams and he was quite worried about how this will affect his grades. They gave him accommodations to complete his requirements and he finished the school year with no problems. The school doctor even gave us a form from the insurance company. Apparently their school had provisions for coverage in case of accidents, and since he was coming home from school when the accident happened, he was eligible for a claim.

It was nice to know that there are such provisions that attend to such accidents. I always thought coverage by insurancespecialists would end when you step outside the school premises. I guess keeping school kids safe should really not be limited to class hours only. Besides the normal provisions needed to keep kids safe, it is important to make sure all efforts for your students safety must be explored.

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