Can I Sue a Fraternity if My Child Was Injured or Killed in a University Hazing Accident?

 Posted on April 07, 2022 in Personal Injury

Parents who live in Winnebago County, Illinois, send their children all over the state and country to attend college. As university attendance levels continue to rise and more young adults seek to obtain a higher education, exposure to certain behaviors and risks also increases. One well-known risk of university attendance is the binge drinking that often occurs at campus parties. 

Unfortunately, binge drinking is often a mandatory part of joining a fraternity or sorority, and young adults with little experience can suffer serious injuries and even death in campus hazing incidents or university house parties. If your child was attending college and was injured, assaulted, or killed after being provided alcohol by another adult, you may be able to take legal action. 

Common Injuries From College Binge Drinking 

Research suggests that college students drink substantially more than their peers who do not attend college. Binge drinking, or drinking to the point of getting drunk, is especially common at universities with fraternities, sororities, and prominent sporting programs. Binge drinking places young students, who are often without parental supervision for the first time in their lives, at significant risk of catastrophic injury, including: 

• Car crashes
• Falls, cuts, burns, bruising, and broken bones 
• Property damage
• Sexual assault, sexually transmitted disease, and unintended pregnancy 
• Violent assault, including homicide and intimate partner violence 
• Alcohol poisoning, including permanent brain damage
• Death 

In addition to the tragic waste of resources and health that binge drinking causes to young adults in the prime of their lives, a student’s academic performance declines as incidents of binge drinking increase, negating the educational aims of college attendance. 

Who is Responsible for Campus Underage Drinking? 

After a student is seriously injured or killed by underage drinking at a house party or fraternity hazing incident, parents may wonder who can be held responsible. In past lawsuits, fraternities and universities have been held responsible, including the individuals involved in providing alcohol and encouraging dangerous binge drinking. 

Other times, adults who host house parties and provide alcohol to minors can be held responsible under social host liability laws, which impose civil or criminal penalties for underage drinking events. 

Call a Winnebago County Hazing Injuries Lawsuit Today 

Taking action when a young adult is victimized in a university hazing incident is essential for ensuring educational institutions take preventative steps so things like this do not happen in the future. If your child was injured or killed in a university hazing incident, or by overdrinking at someone else’s home, you may be able to hold the responsible party liable for damages. Call the experienced Winnebago County underage drinking injury attorneys with Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Injury Law today at 815-215-7561 to schedule a free, confidential consultation. 

Sources: 

https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/university/niu-hazing-death-lawsuit/ 

https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=the-dangers-of-binge-drinking-1-1924 

https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/binge-drinking.htm