Lawsuit Filed After Horrific Hazing Accident
They say it’s all fun and games until somebody gets hurt. Well, for one fraternity, that’s become a reality. A pledge was injured during a horrific hazing accident that left him blind, unable to walk, and unable to communicate in any way. For all intents and purposes, the pledge has been left in a nearly vegetative state with massive brain damage.
According to the lawsuit, the 19-year-old pledge was required to drink a liter of vodka as part of the hazing ritual. He was also required to drink beer through a tube. The boy drank so much that he became unresponsive and was taken to the hospital. The hospital was able to revive him, but not until he suffered irreversible brain damage. At the hospital, it was revealed that he had a BAC of .468, a lethal amount of alcohol.
The lawsuit names two frat brothers, one who allegedly supplied the alcohol to the pledge and another who found him on the floor, and then lifted him back onto the couch and left. A decision was made to drive the boy to the hospital after his lips turned blue. At no point did anyone call 911.
By the time hospital staff found the boy, he was in cardiac arrest and not breathing. He suffered extensive brain damage as a result of oxygen deprivation. The lawsuit contends that had the brothers called 911 earlier, the pledge would not have suffered life-altering injuries. The lawsuit further contends that the 19-year-old pledge was illegally offered alcohol. No charges have been filed for the death of the pledge. The University said that 13 students received disciplinary sanctions but did not elaborate on what those sanctions were. The university removed the fraternity from campus and the house has since been closed.
Pledge’s sister says she visited him days before the incident
The pledge’s sister said she went to visit her brother days before his death. According to her, he was depressed and fatigued about the abuse he had to endure to join the fraternity. His sister told him to walk away, but he refused saying he was not a quitter and did not want to be ridiculed by the members of the fraternity.
The pledge was required to buy pot and other things at all hours of the night, clean the brothers’ rooms, and bring them food. In other words, he was at their beck and call. In another incident, he was ordered to stand in a trash can and he suffered a laceration to his foot for which he required stitches.
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Source:
wfla.com/news/national/hazing-incident-leaves-university-of-missouri-student-unable-to-see-talk-or-walk/
