- Note - We have always been opposed to children carrying
backpacks and shoulder bags that are far too heavy with school books.
Although this is an extreme case, it does, again, point out the responsibility
of teachers and schools to attempt to keep book bag weights at safe levels.
We have featured a number of stories about overweight school backpacks
causing back stress and injuries to children. Parents need to monitor
this situation and bring problems to the attention of school administration
when necessary. -ed
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- HONG KONG (Reuters)
- A Hong Kong school boy plunged 20 stories to his death when his heavy
bag filled with books pulled him over the railing outside his high-rise
flat, newspapers said.
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- A witness to the freak accident on Thursday said the
nine-year-old was leaning on the railing when his school bag slipped and
dragged him over, the local newspapers reported.
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- "He was carrying a heavy schoolbag,'' a police spokesman
told Reuters on Friday. "There was nothing suspicious. It was an accident.
But we have yet to determine the cause.''
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- Newspapers reported that the boy's bag weighed about
20 pounds.
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- Schoolchildren in many parts of Asia are swamped with
homework and have to lug heavy bags. Some in Hong Kong even resort to buying
bags with wheels, much like the suitcases that travelers pull around.
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