Arkansas Boy Loses Finger in Playground Accident

Officials in Mountain Home, Ark., say an 11-year-old middle school student lost a finger when it got caught in a playground slide.

Officials say the accident happened Thursday morning at Pinkston Middle School. Principal Michelle McWilliams says the boy’s left pinkie finger was severed at the base after it was caught in the slide.

Officials tell The Baxter Bulletin that the school removed the slide from the playground after the boy’s injury. The principal says the slide may have been damaged after school by children riding skateboards on it.

McWilliams says the playground had been inspected last week and no defects were found on the equipment.

Citing privacy laws, the school did not release the boy’s name.