A San Diego State University student who claims he had been given a 1% chance of survival after being forced to drink 750ml of rum in half an hour is suing Kappa Sigma fraternity.
Benjamin Brennan claimed in his lawsuit, filed on Thursday, that he was left comatose when he was a 19-year-old freshman after engaging in the hazing ritual as part of a pledge in April 2021.
Per Fox News, the plaintiff is accusing members of the fraternity of forcing him to carry on consuming large amounts of alcohol that would "literally kill most people" after "he could no longer care for himself, stand, or speak."
He further stated that he was left unconscious in a car parked outside a hospital by members of the fraternity, who opted not to admit him into the hospital and simply drove off.
Brennan was ultimately found by hospital staff, put on life support and given a 1% percent chance of survival, according to the lawsuit. He "miraculously" survived but now, at the age of 21, is on a "difficult road to recovery."
The complaint states: "Subsequently, hospital personnel found Plaintiff BRENNAN unconscious, vomiting and not protecting his airway. Plaintiff BRENNAN was placed on life support, intubated and was given a 1 % chance of survival by treating physicians due to his grave condition and Blood Alcohol Content Level of .489 which was recorded at some point in time long after BRENNAN had stopped consuming alcohol. Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC was also found in his system."
The amount in damages he is seeking from the fraternity has not been specified. However, the fraternity in question was suspended from the school after separate reports of hazing and the forcing of others to drink large amounts of alcohol. The chapter was expelled altogether last year.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Mitchell B. Wilson - executive director of the national Kappa Sigma Fraternity - said the fraternity is "aware of the lawsuit" and will "review it closely" whenever they receive it.
"What happened to Benjamin Brennan is unacceptable under any circumstances, and the Kappa Sigma Fraternity has taken action against the individuals who were involved," Wilson said. "As an organization, we continue to adamantly oppose hazing, the misuse of alcohol and placing the health and safety of any person at risk."
San Diego State University told FOX 5 San Diego in a statement that it "does not have a comment on the lawsuit, in which it is not named."
The school said: "However, the university can speak to its ongoing approach to educate students in an effort to mitigate behavioral and other issues within our SDSU community.
"Kappa Sigma was suspended from SDSU in 2020 and expelled in 2022. The chapter appealed the university’s decision earlier this year, and the university has upheld the expulsion. The chapter is not an approved, recognized student organization (RSO), and has not been since May 2020."
