TAMPA, Fla (WFLA) – A child’s hand was smashed in a doorway at a Hillsborough County school, and now his parents are wondering if it was an accident. It happened last Thursday at Cahoon Magnet Elementary School in Tampa.

The first-grader’s parents have now hired attorney Ryan Cappy to get to the bottom of this.

“I think every parent can appreciate this. What would you do if this was your child and you got the phone call that he did?” Cappy asked. “And I think that’s what we need to know and we’re just sending our children to a school and we expect them to be safe. With school going on, why has this happened?”

Cappy asked that the child not be identified, but the boy’s father Willie described getting the call at work that his son was hurt.

“I didn’t know what to think. All I hear is them telling me there was an emergency,” Willie said. “You know, and they didn’t tell me over the phone exactly what it was. So my whole way there, I just was thinking, ‘I don’t know what this is and I’m just praying at the same time that it’s not something life-threatening.'”

It’s too early to tell if the child suffered permanent damage.

The school district does not comment on pending or possible litigation, but a spokesperson told News Channel Eight it is conducting its own investigation and the teacher, Amanda Carranza, is currently out of the classroom. Carranza has been with the district since August 2011 and has not had any disciplinary issues during her tenure.

Willie is simply hoping for answers, wanting to know what really happened.  “At this point we’re just we’re just trying to get past the emotional state with my son because I know he’s psychologically traumatized right now at this point.”

Cappy has filed a claim with the school district. If he determines the child was injured accidentally, there will likely be no further legal action. If he determines the child was injured on purpose or due to negligence, he explains, this could be the first step in a lawsuit against the district.THE STORIES OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON: