Tree falls on Law School, leaving holes in the roof and several rooms damaged

A tree fell down onto the University of Richmond School of Law during a storm early Friday morning, injuring none but damaging the roof and several rooms. 

Law graduate student Lara Ballout was in her 9 a.m. class when she heard the sound of a tree falling outside. 

“We heard a loud bang but we thought it was maybe the dumpster truck or construction,” Ballout said, “Nothing shook, nothing rattled at all, it was a loud sound but we didn’t think that anything actually hit the school.”

After class, Ballout and her friends went outside to see the University of Richmond Police Department taping off the area just outside of the exit facing the Robins School of Business and a large tree on the ground. Ballout said that URPD had the situation handled within 10 minutes of the accident and was quick to make sure no one was injured. 

The incident occurred at around 9:25 a.m., according to Chief Police Dave McCoy. In an email from University Facilities sent about two hours after the accident, no injuries have been reported but there is significant damage to the roof, a seminar classroom, and several professor offices. 

“It affected three professors' offices pretty badly,” Ballout said, “I heard that in one of the offices the roof completely fell into the office and hit the table.” 

The class held in the damaged seminar room has been rescheduled for the time being, according to Ballout. 

The Law School remains open as they assess the damages. University Facilities requests that people avoid the area closest to the damage and use the main entrance on Moody Plaza when entering or exiting the building. 

Contact writer Ana Sufja at ana.sufja@richmond.edu.