On Saturday, October 28, Plymouth State University junior Rikki Graham received injuries from a broken steam line near Centre Lodge. Graham sustained substantial burns to her right leg after she allegedly stepped on what she believed to be solid ground, but what had actually become unstable. The broken pipe created a hole filled with steaming mud, which her leg sank into. Graham was treated briefly at Speare before being transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital Burn Unit by ambulance.
The Physical Plant received a report of the faulty steam line, which supplies the student apartments and Langdon Woods with hot water, late Saturday afternoon.
A friend of Graham’s reported the incident to 911 at 1:04 a.m. Sunday morning, and Campus Police Sergeant, Steven Henry, responded. Campus Police turned the investigation over to Tammy Hill, the Coordinator of Environmental Services at the Physical Plant.
“The safety of the students is uppermost in everything we do,” said Hill. “Nobody in the University wants to see anyone injured.”
She continued by saying, “It would be premature to make much of a comment until we have better details. A thorough investigation needs to be conducted.”
Why the line broke has yet to be determined, and the Physical Plant, in conjunction with local contractors, is working to repair it.
Graham declined to comment at this time.