Broken Claverly Railing Injures Two

A piece of a railing fell off a Claverly Hall balcony on Saturday night, injuring two students sitting on the front steps below.

According to witnesses, pieces of dirt and debris began falling from Claverly Hall around 8:30 p.m., and a piece of railing from the top balcony fell off moments later.

Baris C. Ercal ’10 and Parker A. Lawrence ’12 were struck by the broken railing after it ricocheted off the ground. The students were sitting on the front steps of Claverly, watching a celebration outside the Harvard Lampoon.

Ercal said he remembers hearing a crash and seeing a metal rod lying on the ground before realizing that he was bleeding and had been injured.

“I stepped on my left foot and felt pain,” said Ercal, who sat down after realizing there was a one-inch gash in his left knee. “I was really worried that it would be much more serious.”

A few minutes after the incident, an ambulance arrived and took Ercal to Mount Auburn Hospital. Ercal said he was released around 11:30 p.m.

Lawrence—who estimated the metal railing to be about two feet long and three inches wide—said he was also hit by the object. Besides a bruise on his right calf, Lawrence said he was fine and left the scene after speaking with Harvard University Police Department officers.

No one else at the scene of the incident was injured.

Immediately afterward, police roped off the area to prevent anyone from entering or exiting the building, and directed residents to the back entrance.

A HUPD officer at the scene said he did not know how long the building would be taped off, but that a building inspector was coming.

Ercal said he had heard that a girl in Claverly had been standing and leaning on the balcony, possibly causing it to break off.

“Some girl ran down immediately after it happened, apologizing,” said Ercal.

According to Lawrence, the impact of the object’s fall left a crack on the stone steps.

“I think it would have killed me if it hit me directly,” said Lawrence.

Melissa Y. Caminneci ’09 said she was walking past Claverly moments before the balcony broke off.

She said that she heard a trickling sound from above, followed by a larger cracking noise moments later.

“It’s a really unfortunate coincidence that someone just happened to be sitting there when it fell,” said Caminneci.

Sharon L. Howell, Resident Dean of Adams House, said that the building manager was inspecting Claverly Hall yesterday.

—Staff writer Liyun Jin can be reached at ljin@fas.harvard.edu.