JAMAICA-Student dies after goalpost falls on him.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC -Campion College says it is” cooperating fully with relevant authorities” after a student was killed when a football goalpost fell on him on Tuesday.

“The school is cooperating fully with relevant authorities regarding this incident. Out of respect for the family’s privacy and due to the ongoing investigation, we cannot provide additional details at this time,” Champion College chairman Anton Thompson said in a statement.

The second-form student, Rashad Richards, was taken to the University Hospital of the West Indies, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

“Our immediate focus is supporting our students, staff, and, most importantly, Rashad’s family during this challenging period. The school has made counseling and pastoral care services available to all community members,” Thompson added.

The director of safety and security in the Ministry of Education and Youth (MOEY), Richard Troupe, said the incident reminds schools of the importance of adhering to the ministry’s safety protocols.

“It is a matter of concern. We have a policy document for contact sports which speaks to the posts being planted because of these eventualities,” he told The Gleaner newspaper.

“We understand that, in some spaces, an area is used for multiple activities, but we have seen schools putting the goalposts down in the past. So it does not provide that kind of threat to students,” he added.

The parliamentary representative for St. Andrew South East, Julian Robinson, is saddened by the student’s death.

“As a parent myself, it is difficult to conceive of the pain being experienced by his loved ones. I also want to offer condolences to the entire Campion College family and pray for God’s guidance and protection during this difficult period,” he added.

The death of three students involving goalposts at schools in 2011 promoted calls for the development of guidelines for schools’ sporting equipment. After the third tragedy, the MOEY immediately ordered the removal of all unanchored goalposts from public infant and primary schools.