A 19-year-old from Florida was seriously injured after he fell 40 feet, crashing through a skylight before landing on the floor of the gym at Buchholz High School in Gainesville. Chadd Shanks suffered multiple broken bones and spent over six hours in surgery following the accident.
Video of the fall was recorded by a parent who was in the gym for a wrestling tournament. Shanks can be seen falling onto a padded wrestling mat as debris sent people standing nearby scattering. The debris hit two people, causing minor injuries. Fleming Island Assistant Coach Garius Dornes was hit by the debris but still rushed over to help Shanks.
“Once he hit the ground, he was trying to move, but you could see in his eyes, he couldn’t say anything,” Dornes told News4Jax. “He could barely move. We just told him, 'Don’t move. Just stay still. We don’t want nothing to happen.'”
Shanks was taken to the hospital and has made a remarkable recovery. He is expected to be released from the hospital in the next few days.
Officials said that Shanks was on the roof of the school filming a music video with seven other friends when he fell through the ceiling while trying to retrieve a cell phone. Police said that six people have been charged with second-degree misdemeanor trespassing and that Shanks will also be charged when he is released from the hospital. Police identified two of the suspects as Kieran Sexton and Brycyn White, who are both 18-years-old. The other suspects are minors and authorities did not release their identities.
Officials said they are working to identify an eighth person who was also present on the roof of the school.