Grain Valley School District employee injured after mowing over homemade firework
A Grain Valley School District employee suffered minor injuries Tuesday after running over a homemade firework on a lawn mower at Grain Valley South Middle School.
Officers with the Grain Valley Police Department were called to Grain Valley South Middle School just before 7 a.m. on a report of an explosion, according to a news release from the department.
There, investigators discovered a district employee was mowing in the area when the mower struck “an apparent explosive device,” the release said. The explosion damaged the mower and the employee suffered minor injuries.
In an email to The Star Tuesday, the Grain Valley School District said the explosion was “caused by a discarded homemade device” designed to launch fireworks, “which had been left on school property with a firework still inside.”
No other staff members or students were present on the property when the incident occurred, the school district said.
“The safety and well-being of our staff, students, and families remain our highest priority. We are fully committed to maintaining a safe working and learning environment on all district grounds,” the school district said.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives worked with the Grain Valley Police Department to search the area, finding “no known ongoing concern or threat to the public,” the police department said.
The employee involved in the incident is “reported to be in good condition with no injuries,” according to the news release.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call the Grain Valley Police Department at 816-847-6250.
