Family says doctors were unable to save the 9-year-old student’s finger and had to perform an amputation after school officials failed to seek immediate medical attention for the boy

According to the boy’s family, the 9-year-old student had to have his finger amputated after falling in his classroom Monday. The young boy tripped over his backpack in the classroom at the elementary school and got caught in a metal computer cabinet, which snapped his finger in the cabinet’s door. After X-rays, the medical personnel couldn’t operate anymore because the boy’s finger needed to be amputated. “How do you send a child home with his finger cut off and just pass it on without calling 911 at the school?” the boy’s grandfather said.

The 9-year-old boy from Missouri, DJ Williams, told his mother that he tripped over his backpack in the classroom at Bristol Elementary School and got caught in a metal computer cabinet. Unfortunately, the boy then snapped his finger in the cabinet’s door jam. 

Talisa Pierce, the boy’s mother, claims that school officials called her and told her that her son had a “gash” on his hand. 

The boy’s grandfather, Larry Pierce, picked the 9-year-old boy from school and said his fingers were wrapped and his hand was bleeding.

According to KFOR, Larry Pierce reportedly said: The nurse says, ‘Okay, he cut his hand.’ Didn’t say how bad it was, but says take him to urgent care. They unwrap it and immediately said, ‘Oh no. We can’t treat this. His finger is gone.” 

The grandfather then drove the young boy to Missouri Baptist’s emergency room.

Larry Pierce also said: “How do you send a child home with his finger cut off and just pass it on without calling 911 at the school?”

After X-rays, the medical personnel told the mother that they couldn’t operate anymore because the boy’s finger needed to be amputated. So, they were transferred to Children’s Hospital by ambulance.

The boy’s mother, Talisa Pierce, who is also a pediatric nurse herself, told KMOV that she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. 

According to Talisa, her son needs to see an orthopedic surgeon and will hear whether or not his entire hand will need to be amputated. The mom also said that the school nurse sent a picture of a portion of his finger still attached to the metal cart, but it couldn’t be saved for surgery.

The 9-year-old boy reportedly told his mother: “I slipped on my backpack, and the computer cart thingy was open, and I used these three fingers to kind of pull myself. My middle finger was on the edge of it, and then it cut it.”

The unfortunate mother was concerned about the cabinet: “I don’t even see why that is even in a classroom. If it’s in a classroom, that needs to be closed at all times. I do feel it was negligence because, first protocol, I feel 911 should have been called.” 

The school officials released the following statement: “WGSD is aware of reports of an accident, a fall, that occurred at Bristol Elementary School on Monday, April 18, 2022, that may have resulted in injury to a student requiring medical attention. The District is always concerned for and committed to the health and safety of its students and is currently investigating the accident in question.”