FRATERNITY DEATH LEADS TO OUT OF COURT SETTLEMENT

 

Andy M had been raised by his mother in Brooklyn New York who worked full-time as a New York City police officer.  He did well in school, would get up early every day to pack his mother’s lunch and the two were extremely close.  Fast forward to October 12, 2013 when Andy’s mother received a phone call telling her that her son was “missing” from a fraternity sponsored canoe trip on the Peace River in Acadia, Florida.  She was in total disbelief and numb from the shock.  She immediately flew to Florida to join the search.  Two days later the news came: Andy’s body had been discovered along the side of the river.  Andy was dead.

 

Once again another young man had died needlessly from a fraternity related event.  This time it involved the Lambda Chi fraternity at the University of Miami.  Andy’s mother hired our firm because of our prior experience in representing other families who had lost loved ones in fraternity related activities not just in Florida but elsewhere as well.  We investigated and, not surprisingly, once again found facts very similar to what we have seen many times before: young men, influenced by too much alcohol, doing things they shouldn’t be doing and someone ended up dying.  In this instance, the Lambda Chi members had rented canoes, tied them all together in a raft, loaded up the beer and meandered down the river for an afternoon of fun.  At some point, however, the canoes capsized and Andy was never seen again.  In the chaos that followed no one even realized he was missing until it was too late to rescue him.  The medical examiner determined that he had died from drowning.

 

We invited all of the parties that we intended to sue to a pre-suit mediation and they all accepted.  At the conclusion of the mediation the claim was settled to our client’s satisfaction and, as a result, no lawsuit was ever filed.

 

It is hard to believe that fraternity related hazing and other fraternity related events that border on the ridiculous still go on with such regularity. It is happening on college campuses all of the time despite the efforts of so many to try and stop it.  We will continue to do our part in this battle by doing everything we can to assist the families of fraternity members who have lost their lives under such tragic circumstances.  We are available for consultation for any family that has a question about this subject matter or who may have lost a son or daughter in a similar tragedy.