ARLINGTON – 17 teenagers were injured this week during a knife safety demonstration at Arlington Memorial High School in Arlington, VT. Shop teacher Than Wood was giving a lesson on how to properly handle a knife, when the weapon slipped from his hands and stabbed more than a dozen students.
“It was horrible!” said Cindy Biestander, one of the victims of the accident. “The knife dropped to the ground and then it just kind of went off, bouncing up and stabbing people like crazy! It got my arm pretty bad, but other people got it a lot worse than I did. I’m okay, but I will definitely avoid knives from now on.”
Wood regrets the incident, but says that he hopes his students will use it as a learning experience.
“Do I wish I hadn’t dropped the knife? Of course. But it did drive home the point of the lesson. Knife safety is extremely important. Knives are dangerous, and you know, one wrong move and you can accidentally wipe out a whole room full of people. My students get that now. Not a great way to learn the lesson, but a great lesson to learn. It’s why we keep all the woodworking tools locked up between classes. I can’t think of anything more dangerous than a knife in school.”
Wood has been placed on paid administrative leave while the district investigates the incident.
Image Credits: Fabrice Florin.
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