CHICAGO (AP) – A 17-year-old girl was killed after she tried to slide down the railing of a staircase inside a museum, lost her balance and fell, police and museum officials said.
The accident happened Saturday in a public stairwell known as the “Blue Stairway” inside the Museum of Science and Industry.
“She was sliding down the bannister and lost her balance, according to eyewitness accounts,” Chicago police spokesman Matthew Jackson said. “We are treating this as a death investigation.”
The girl, identified as Katie Brooks, a student at Cor Jesu Academy in the St. Louis suburb of Affton, Mo., was part of a youth group of about 80 people, said museum spokesman Jim Macksood.
The Foucault’s Pendulum exhibit located in the stairwell was damaged, and the surrounding area was closed, museum officials said. The rest of the museum remained open. Macksood said there was “no lingering danger” to other visitors.
“Museum officials called in crisis counselors to work with the other members of the youth group,” he said.
David Mosena, president and CEO of the museum, released a statement saying: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the young woman.”
AP-ES-05-11-03 1809EDT
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