UB acts after 4 fall off bunks

Buffalo News ^ | 9/23/2003 | STEPHEN WATSON

[Born Conservative]

Four University at Buffalo students have injured themselves falling or jumping out of bunk beds in the first month of school, an unusually high total that concerns school officials.

In response, UB administrators are warning students to be careful when using the beds, and the school is ordering guardrails to install on all beds that don't already have them.

The series of accidents is surprising to officials, who say UB typically receives one report a year of a student falling out of a bed.

"It's an unprecedented situation for us," said Joseph J. Krakowiak, director of UB's residence halls.

The students who fell reported minor injuries - the most severe was a broken ankle - in incidents that took place over the past four weeks in UB residence halls, said Dennis R. Black, vice president for student affairs.

There's no common thread among the accidents, Black said.

In one case, for example, a sleeping student either heard a phone ringing or dreamed she heard a phone ringing and hurt herself when she jumped out of bed to answer it.

In another, a student woke up one morning to find himself lying on the floor next to his loft bed and sporting a bloody lip, Black said. The student could only assume he fell out of bed but wasn't jarred awake.

Another student fell when she eschewed the bed's ladder and tried to climb down onto the top of a nearby desk.

"Our sense is that accidents happen. They're unfortunate, but they happen. (But in this case) we've had too many," Black said.

The loft beds in use at UB's dormitories typically aren't used as bunk beds in a traditional sense, with two students sleeping one above the other.

Most often, the UB beds are raised as much as five feet off the ground so that students can fit storage boxes, a computer desk or a chair underneath.

About 5,300 students live in UB dorms, and about one-quarter of them are sleeping in loft beds, Krakowiak said.

Officials know that 900 loft beds already have safety rails in place, but the accidents in the past month prompted UB to order enough for every bed used that way. "I don't see it as systematic, but we don't want it to become so," Krakowiak said.

He estimates UB will buy about 600 guardrails for both sides of 300 unguarded loft beds and will start installing them later this fall. UB could spend $40,000 to do this, Krakowiak said.

The university sent an e-mail to students last week urging them to be careful in using their loft beds, particularly if they've consumed alcohol or used drugs or medication.

The e-mail also asked students if they want a rail installed now or if they want their bed lowered to the floor.

[Ex-Dem]

I'm curious, what does US News and World Report rank the University at Buffalo?

[Servant of the 9]

the school is ordering guardrails to install on all beds that don't already have them.

They let people go to college who need guard rails to stay in their beddie poos?

What sports is this school playing?

SO9

[Born Conservative]

Next step: sippie cups for the cafeteria...

[scott7278]

Diapers are next, for those who have trouble getting out of bed due to the rails.

[scott7278]

Another student fell when she eschewed the bed's ladder and tried to climb down onto the top of a nearby desk.

So railing would help how?

[scott7278]

College humor ping.

[Old Professer]

When my son was about 13 my mom was sataying with us and the family room was directly below his bedroom.

Four times she heard him fall out of bed onto the floor and four times she went up and helped him back into bed.

On the fifth time, she went up, saw him on the floor and decided to just let him sleep there.

She went back downstairs, turned the T.V. back on and heard him fall again - to the day she died she swore he fell "off the floor."

[Robert A Cook PE]

I'm not sure what they're talking about.

http://www.strangecosmos.com/view.adp?picture_id=11278

Last time I counted, there were still 6 bodies in the bunkbed.

[fourdeuce82d]

a student woke up one morning to find himself lying on the floor next to his loft bed and sporting a bloody lip, Black said. The student could only assume he fell out of bed but wasn't jarred awake.

interesting. The time I got that drunk, I just woke up in my own excreta- I couldn't have rolled over, let alone fallen all the way out of bed.

Then again, I was only fourteen at the time. College kids must hold their liquor better.

[scott7278]

 

After Phase III...

[jigsaw]

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!

[jigsaw]

Or maybe I should say: FOOMBLMAO (Falling Out Of My Bunk Laughing My A$$ Off)

[Rainmist]

Having 5 kids in the family we always had bunkbeds. I recall falling out of one when I was 16 or so, waking up on the way down - that was scary !! I hit the typewriter on the nearby desk with my hand as I fell. The next morning I remembered falling out and looked over at the typewriter, it was sitting sideways on the desk. My brothers fell out once or twice, you just roll over too far in your sleep - so it is possible. I should know ! LOL

[anymouse]

Reminds me of my dorm days. We had wooden structures that suspened the beds up like bunks and allowed the area underneath to be utilized for sofas or desks. A rather athletic and goofy friend in the room next to mine liked to jump across the 6 foot span between beds. His roommate got tired of this foolishness and while he was in mid-jump, the roommate swung a pillow at the jumping roomie. The jumper dropped like a stone. Luckily he landed on the sofa below. Needless to say this was the last time he entertained himself this way. :)

[Tree of Liberty]

Five'll get you ten that most the students were Tucker Max Drunk when they got hurt. I don't know if rails will abrogate injuries that might befall them in that condition.

[TXnMA]

Beer makes all four sides of a bunk bed slope downhill... '-}

[Tree of Liberty]

LOL