After First Day of Classes, Tragedy on Oregon Campus

The first day of classes at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, ended in tragedy Monday night when a freestanding brick column collapsed on a group of students, reports CNN. Portland Fire and Rescue responded around 8:15pm local time to reports of several students injured, including one who was receiving CPR from bystanders, per NBC News. A 19-year-old male was pronounced dead at the scene. Two 18-year-old females were hurt, one with an injured arm and the other with abdominal injuries; both were taken to a local hospital.

According to local KOIN, six students were in three hammocks attached to the columns when one of them “collapsed inward on them.” No reports provide information on the columns’ height. A KOIN reporter on the scene said first responders initially had difficulty getting to the location because it was in the middle of campus, which was apparently poorly lit. Per KATU, the college released a statement explaining that “a tragic accident occurred on the undergraduate campus” and it was “deeply saddened by the shocking loss of a member of our community.” Founded in 1867, Lewis & Clark is a private liberal arts college with about 1,800 undergraduate students. (More Portland, Oregon stories.)