Student injured at site of off-campus bonfire

By: Teri Ruland & Mindy Riffle

Posted: 11/4/08

A student was injured on the final day of cut Sunday at student bonfire in Robertson County.

Assistant Vice President of Student Bonfire Jeremy Stark said the injured student was a sophomore at Texas A&M. His identity has not been released because of medical confidentiality.

"He broke his leg," said the junior political science major. "That's what we know for now. He's doing just fine."

Nick Kaechler, senior head stack and senior agricultural engineering major, explained the final cut day as when the crews cut down the last trees of the year and to carve the crew name in it. Those logs will serve as the exterior logs of stack.

Stark said student bonfire will take place in Robertson County off Pin Oak Road, 10 miles southeast of Hearn. Student bonfire, which takes place off campus, started in 2002.

"We have safety policies in place and they were all being followed. It was just an accident. It's just a dangerous part of what we do. We cut all the trees by hand and it's all done under strict supervision," he said.

STAR Flight, a helicopter rescue team, was dispatched to the bonfire site within minutes, Stark said. He was flown to St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan. He has since been taken to Scott & White in Temple.

"The reason for the life flight was just to get the injured out of the woods faster and into a treatment-care facility much faster because we are about 30 minutes away from Bryan, where the best medical facilities are," Stark said.

There is no alcohol allowed on the site and students will be turned away if they are found under the influence, Kaechler said.

"No alcohol is allowed at any bonfire events, anybody who has been drinking is not allowed on site," he said. "We do not tolerate horseplay and messing around. All of our upper leadership have multiple years of experience and our lower leadership have training before cut and stack."

Since the Bonfire collapse Nov. 18, 1999, where 12 Aggies died and 27 were injured, student bonfire has been run solely by students. More than 1,000 students and former students participate each year.

"Texas A&M University has continued to discourage the construction of any off-campus bonfires primarily out of concern for the safety of our students," said Jason Cook, vice president for marketing and communications. "This is a non-sanctioned student activity and the University officials do not participate in the off campus bonfire construction in any capacity."

Kaechler confirmed that student bonfire will continue as planned.

"Stack will begin Wednesday and burn will be on Nov. 22," he said.