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Fremont Preschoolers Injured When Cabinet Falls On Them During Naptime

FREMONT (KPIX 5) – Two young children attending a preschool in Fremont were hurt, one seriously, when a cabinet fell on them during naptime last week. A state official told KPIX 5 that the school didn't call for help.

On Friday afternoon, a wall cabinet fell on two sleeping children at Enlight Preschool. A little boy had minor injuries, but a 3-year-old girl had a significant traumatic injury and was airlifted to Stanford.

According to a state inspector, the school did not call 911. The mother of the 3-year-old girl called for help after realizing she needed medical attention, 45 minutes after the incident, the inspector said.

The city's senior code enforcement officer told KPIX 5 there are a number of problems at the school and not just limited to the accident that sent one child to the hospital.

Before school let out Tuesday, Fremont's code enforcement team was posting notices at the school. After everyone went home, the children ages 2 to 6 are not allowed back in, until structural fixes are made.

"It's very serious. I was quite disturbed when I saw the report of what had happened," said Fremont Senior Code Enforcement Officer Christine Civiletti.

Code enforcement said the cabinet wasn't properly mounted to the wall.

"They had too much weight in them and it appears that's what caused it to fall over," Civiletti said.

Parents at the bilingual Montessori school were reluctant to talk. A mother who didn't want her name used told KPIX 5 that she hoped repairs would be made. "I think they need to do some safety measures for the cabinets and their equipment," she said.

The city found other violations, including firewalls that have been removed and emergency exits that have chains.

The school didn't want any outsiders in Tuesday, rushing children in the doors and keeping out even code enforcement.

The California Department of Social Services is investigating Friday's incident. Parents said they still haven't been formally told about what took place.

"We did not see, receive any email or newsletter, or announcement about it," the mother said.

The last inspection of Enlight Preschool was January 2012, the day before it was licensed. There have not been any complaints or citations.

Police said the 3-year-old will need significant time to recuperate but is expected to make a full recovery.

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