Schools
Lilydale Landslide: 'I Couldn't Get Out'
Parents of two children who died ask why they weren't told of field trip risks, while a child who survived says his teacher—and his long hair—saved his life, according to MPR and KARE 11 reports.
The May 2013 deaths of two Peter Hobart Elementary School schoolchildren on a field trip at Lilydale Regional Park are the subject of in-depth reports this week by Minnesota Public Radio and KARE 11.
Saved by Teacher
One young survivor spoke to the news organizations:
"'I couldn't get out to get up,' Devin [Meldahl, 10] says. 'My teacher said not to move and I didn't move for a while ... She said a whole bunch of dirt fell on you and a couple kids.'
"Devin was covered over his head in mud, dirt and rocks. He only survived the landslide at Lilydale Park he tells us, because of his teacher." (KARE 11)
'A Very, Very Dangerous Place'Parents of the children who died question how they came to be in a dangerous area:
"'We trusted the school you know like our family,' says [Mohamed] Muse [whose son, 9-year-old son Haysem Sani, was killed].
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"Haysem's parents, along with the parents of 10-year-old Mohamed Fofana, who was also killed, and 10-year-old Devin Meldahl who was buried alive but survived, all say they wish they had known more about Lilydale, about the bluffs and the steep, winding and rocky terrain.
"'That's a very, very dangerous place. Why they allowed to go over there?' Muse asks." (KARE 11)
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A teacher at Peter Hobart Elementary acknowledged that Lilydale Regional Park can be dangerous in applying for a field trip permit, Minnesota Public Radio reported:
"But the field trip information sheet the school sent home to parents didn't mention the potential for danger. It said only that students should 'be prepared for hiking, climbing, and getting muddy.'
"The sheet also noted the fossil hunt would be held rain or shine, unless the forecast included lightning. Light rain fell intermittently the day of the field trip, following several inches that fell during the week before. Geologists say rain likely played a role in the landslide."
Declining to give any interviews, the St. Louis Park Public Schools District said in a written statement that it could not provide any specific details on the incident citing the privacy rights of those involved, KARE 11 reported.
Related at KARE 11:
- Did parents know enough about Lilydale field trip?
- Lilydale survivor, parents of victims cope with tragedy
Related at Minnesota Public Radio:
- Read all the documents collected for this report
- Parents of children killed and injured speak out
- Two months after fatal landslide, a look back
- Transcripts detail landslide rescuers' initial desperation
- Photos: The deadly St. Paul landslide
- UPDATE: Two SLP Students Dead, Two Injured in Gravel Slide
- 911 Transcripts Demonstrate Struggle After Lilydale Tragedy
- SLP Community Struggling with Loss in Wake of Lilydale Park Tragedy
- St. Louis Park Pulls Together After Lilydale Tragedy
- LISTEN: Dayton Offers Condolences to Peter Hobart Students
- SLP Schools Officials Discuss Lilydale Park Tragedy
- Online Auction Raising Funds for Impacted Peter Hobart Families, Students
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