Hickory 8th-grader dies week after stairwell fall at middle school

HICKORY, N.C. — Northview Middle School teachers were told the 13-year-old student who fell in an open stairwell at school last week has died.

According to officials, the 8th-grader was airlifted from the school to a Charlotte hospital last Monday after he lost his balance and fell.

There will be a dozen counselors at the school Tuesday for support, and banners will be available for students to sign.

Teachers gathered around a flag pole on campus last week to pray for the boy while he was in the hospital.

Parents told Channel 9 there is a protective railing that is four feet high, which runs all the way up the stairs.

The district said it's reviewing what led to the student's death, and that there is a camera in the stairwell.

Cox Media Group