Professor and student injured in chemistry explosion

By Sarah Schuch
Edited by Amanda Crabtree, Meredith Mayberry and Kelly Morse

An explosion occurred Monday at 4:30 p.m. in a research lab on the third floor of the Dow Science Complex injuring two people.

“It was simply an experiment that went wrong,” said Stan Dinius, chief of police at Central Michigan University.

There were three people in the room, Dinius said. The third person was able to hide behind a wall.

Steve Smith, director of media relations, said Choon Lee, assistant professor of chemistry, and the student only had minor injuries.

According to a press release from CMU police, the CMU hazardous material team, Hazmat, arrived on the scene along with police and the fire department. The student and Lee were taken to Central Michigan Community Hospital and treated for their injuries.

Laura Danielson, Caledonia sophomore, said she was walking back from class when she saw two fire trucks, an ambulance and a police car, so she followed them.

Danielson said the female student was wheeled out on a stretcher. She overheard a police officer say the student was a senior working on a research project.

There was no fire in the lab, there were just a lot of chemicals, Danielson said.

The lab was cleared and cleaned up by about 5:30 p.m.

David Ash, chairman of the chemistry department, said he doesn’t know how or why this happened. He will know more when he gets the chance to talk to everybody involved.