The serious injury suffered by a student at McHenry County College earlier this month was caused by a piece of machinery that came off while in use.

According to an MCC Police Department report released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, a 39-year-old male student suffered a “major injury” to his head on Nov. 3 while in class in the G Building, also known as the Foglia Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation.

The multimillion-dollar center opened to students last year, and features more than 45,000 square feet of classroom and laboratory space, a community maker space and a small business incubator.

First responders arrived to the student sitting on the floor “bleeding profusely from the back of his head, and had a large, deep laceration to the left side of his face,” according to a report made by MCC Police Officer Jon Plimpton.

“He was semi-conscious, moaning and swaying back and forth,” according to the report. The student’s name was not released, and his current condition is unknown.

Paramedics arrived within five minutes and took the student to Northwestern Medicine Woodstock Hospital where he was then flown via medical helicopter to Javon Bea Hospital – Riverside in Rockford.

The student was working on a Computer Numerical Control machine when a “chuck” came loose and hit him in the head, according to the report. CNC lathes and mills are used to create precision parts and assemblies, according to an MCC web page.

Police note in the report that the chuck may not have been properly secured to the controlling arm, causing it to come loose while the student was using the machine.

“Although the machine is equipped with a sliding cover to protect the operator, it did not appear it had been deployed,” Plimpton said in the report.

MCC Police Sergeant Roger Saran said in the report that the student, who was working on creating a metal fidget spinner, was wearing safety glasses while operating the machine.

The Crystal Lake Fire/Rescue Department also responded to the incident.

“The health, safety, and well-being of this student is our utmost priority, and we are waiting for additional updates at this time,” MCC Public Information Officer Christina Haggerty said in an email to the Northwest Herald on Nov. 3. Haggerty declined further comment this week.