When Fraternity Hazing Turns Deadly: Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Many freshman college students are excited to join a fraternity or sorority as they start their college experience. It’s a way to create a sense of belonging when away from home for the first time. Most people love their experiences but sometimes things can go very wrong when hazing is taken way too far. Hazing is humiliating and sometimes dangerous initiation rituals, often imposed on students seeking membership into a fraternity or sorority. In recent years, there have been some tragic deaths associated with college hazing that have made the national news. Some of these deaths have resulted in wrongful death lawsuits brought by the family of the deceased. When the actions of a fraternity lead to the death of a person, it may be appropriate to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the university and/or fraternity to recover damages. Here is one example: on February 3, 2020, the mother of the Rutgers student who was killed by a train after becoming intoxicated at a frat party sued the school and fraternity for wrongful death.
Wrongful death lawsuit
If you lost a college-aged child to a deadly fraternity hazing incident, contact a wrongful death lawyer as soon as you are able. The attorney can discuss your legal rights and may be able to help you recover damages through a wrongful death lawsuit.
The dangers of alcohol consumption and drinking games
Alcohol is freely accessible to those over the age of 21 in the United States and as a result, thousands abuse it to get drunk or binge drink on a regular basis. According to sobercollege.com, when young people binge drink as a result of hazing or peer pressure, they are putting their lives at risk. Many young people also get sucked into playing drinking games that can seriously increase the risk of an alcohol overdose. The dangers of drinking games are often overlooked as harmless fun.
Binge drinking is defined as the act of consuming large amounts of alcohol over a short period of time. That means, five or more drinks in a two-hour period for men and four or more for women. Binge drinking takes an enormous toll on neurological, physical and emotional health. Neurological effects can mean making poor choices that put our safety and lives at risk. Binge drinkers have also been found to be more aggressive, which increases their risk of getting into a physical altercation and suffering subsequent injuries.
Drinking games were created for the purpose of getting people drunk quickly. The issue is that the rules of the game can make people drink way more alcohol than they normally would, putting people at risk for poor decisions and injuries. Women are also more at risk for sexual assault when playing drinking games with men; one-fifth of men in a survey admitted to taking sexual advantage of another player after a drinking game, while 19 percent admitted to having intercourse with a person who was too intoxicated to consent.
Seek the help of a wrongful death attorney
If you lost a loved one due to the reckless/negligent behavior of another, you have enough to deal with. Let an experienced wrongful death attorney fight for justice on your behalf. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times larger with the help of a wrongful death lawyer. Call the most experienced practicing wrongful death attorneys Bellingham has at Tario & Associates, P.S. today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing grieving family members in Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County and Snohomish County since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you.
