A University of Missouri student is now blind and unable to walk after he was allegedly forced to consume an excessive quantity of alcohol during a pledge event for the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity.

Hazing Ritual Turns To Tragedy

According to a lawsuit filed by the student's family, the student participated in a pledge event for the fraternity in the Fall of 2021. Video surveillance shows multiple blindfolded pledges being led downstairs in the fraternity house at around 9:00 p.m. In a ritual that is all too common at fraternity pledge events, the student was pressured to drink a bottle of vodka and several beers.

Video surveillance shows that by 11:00 p.m., the student was losing his balance and falling backward. Other fraternity members picked him up and placed him on the sofa in another room. Shortly after midnight, the video footage shows the student sliding off the sofa and ending up with his face on the floor. After fifteen minutes on the floor, several fraternity members lifted the student up and carried him to a car, dropping him along the way. The members placed him in a vehicle and drove him to a nearby hospital.

Medics at the hospital said the student was not breathing when they arrived. They performed CPR and restarted his heart. The student's blood-alcohol content was at a near-fatal level of .486.

Today, the student has permanent brain damage. He is blind and unable to walk. His mother says she quit her job to care for him full time.

The University's Response and Implications for Bystanders

In response to this tragic hazing incident, the university shut down the fraternity and sanctioned thirteen of its members. (There are also ongoing civil and criminal proceedings related to the incident.)

The university's response to this incident should serve as a warning to students who attend parties where alcohol is involved.

Students must be aware that they may be held responsible when someone gets hurt at a party, even when they are just bystanders. Students who are not even fully aware that another party guest is in danger can be disciplined. When a tragedy like this occurs, universities are under tremendous pressure to hold the people involved accountable, even if their involvement was minimal.

Particularly when alcohol is involved, students must be mindful that they can be held accountable for acts or omissions (like failure to step in to help) during the event.

A Strong Defense Is Critical

When students find themselves involved a university's investigation after an injury at a party—whether they were an active participant or a bystander—having legal representation is critical.

If you or your child is the subject of a university's investigation, contact attorney Joseph D. Lento. He can explain your legal options and help to hold the university accountable for following proper procedures. Call the Lento Law Firm now at 888.535.3686 or reach out online.