Exploding paperweight costs teacher his hand

[bossradio93]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/04/paperweight.explosion.ap/index.html

Exploding paperweight costs teacher his hand

Tuesday, April 4, 2006; Posted: 5:47 p.m. EDT (21:47 GMT)

VENTURA, California (AP) -- A teacher who kept a 40 mm shell on his desk as a paperweight blew off part of his hand when he apparently used the object to try to squash a bug, authorities say.

The 5-inch-long shell exploded Monday while Robert Colla was teaching 20 to 25 students at an adult education class.

Part of Colla's right hand was severed and he suffered severe burns and minor shrapnel wounds to his forearms and torso, fire Capt. Tom Weinell said. No one else was injured. He was reported in stable condition at a hospital.

The teacher slammed the shell down in an attempt to kill something that was buzzing or crawling across the desk, said Fire Marshal Glen Albright.

Colla found the 40 mm round while hunting years ago and "obviously he didn't think the round was live," said Dennis Huston, who teaches computer design alongside Colla.

Copyright ©2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

CNN.com-April 4, 2006

[Janice]

Now, there's an candidate for the Darwin Award.

He's lucky he didn't injure or kill a student.

[MsOrange]

note to self: remove all ammunition off desk currently being used as paperweights.

[Ireneparalegal]

This occurred in the city next to mine. I live in Ventura County. The school is abt 20 mins. away. What an idiot. He could have killed himself and the students. I smell a lawsuit coming.


Juan Carlo / Star staff

Teacher Robert Colla's desk shows the aftermath of an explosion during class Monday at the Ventura Adult Education Center.



Exploding ammunition injures Ventura teacher
By John Scheibe
April 4, 2006

Part of a Ventura instructor's right hand was severed Monday afternoon after he struck an object on his classroom desk against an old 40 mm round of ammunition while teaching.

The accidental discharge also left Robert Colla with severe burns and minor shrapnel wounds to his forearms and torso, said Tom Weinell, a captain with the Ventura Fire Department.

No one else was injured in the explosion, even though there were 20 to 25 people in the classroom with Colla at the Ventura Adult Education Center on Valentine Road when the explosion occurred at 4:06 p.m.

Colla was taken to Ventura County Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition Monday evening.

"It was just a horrible accident," said Dennis Huston, who teaches computer design alongside Colla.

Huston said he had his back turned to Colla and was only about three feet away when he heard a loud bang.

He turned around to find Colla screaming, his right hand mangled.

The explosion sent shrapnel flying around the classroom, Huston said. One piece went into the ceiling, while another landed where a student would normally sit. Huston said the student was absent Monday.

Colla had found the 40 mm round while hunting years ago, Huston said. He used it as a paperweight and "obviously he didn't think the round was live," Huston said.

"He'd had it for years and years and nothing had happened before," Huston said. He described the round as about an inch-and-a-half wide and about five inches long.

The explosion also destroyed a computer keyboard, scattering some of the keys around Colla's desk.

Barry Tronstad, the center's director, said he didn't hear the explosion even though he was in the building at the time.

"I was alerted by the smoke alarm," Tronstad said.

The center is run by the Ventura Unified School District.

a pic of the classroom after this occurred: