Sigma Phi Epsilon, the national fraternity of which Hipps was pledging, released a statement on Thursday about the new witness.
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A new witness has come forward in the death of a 19-year-old fraternity pledge at Clemson University, leading his family to believe they may finally be closer to knowing what happened to Tucker Hipps before he died.
The family wants to update the lawsuit with testimony from the new witness, who says Hipps “was forced to walk the rail, slipped from the railing and caught the railing under his arms”. It states that defendant Thomas King was involved in a “confrontation” with Hipps on the S.C. 93 bridge over the Seneca River at Lake Hartwell shortly before Hipps fell to his death.
New court documents in the family’s $25 million lawsuit allege the political science major was forced to walk along a narrow bridge railing in a hazing incident before he fell to his death.
Hipps then tried to climb back up with no help, but lost his grip and fell, striking his head on the rocks in shallow water below, according to the report. A judge likely will schedule a hearing on the issue for October, according to the newspaper. According to the lawsuits, toxicology reports showed the teen hadn’t been drinking or taking any drugs before he died.
The amended suit alleges one of Hipps’ “brothers” attempted to locate him in the waters below using a light from a cell phone – but that no attempt was made to rescue him.
Adams said the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office interviewed the “alleged witness and his statement does not warrant any further criminal investigation nor would it result in any criminal charges being filed”. Citing “negligence” on his part, they’ve asked for the suit to be dismissed. “Universities and fraternities must make change from within to protect their own”.
A potential new witness has come forward in the case of the 2014 death of a fraternity pledge student at Clemson University.
King, of North Carolina, along with Campbell T. Starr of Greenville and Samuel Quillen Carney of Delaware, organized the run, according to the lawsuit. His attorneys said in their response to the lawsuit that there is no “allegation that Sam Carney saw or had anything to do with how Tucker Hipps ended up in the water under the bridge that morning”.
“I don’t want Tucker’s little life to be in vain”.
Hipps’s mother, Cindy Hipps, spoke with FOX Carolina’s Diana Watson about the possibility of new information in the case.
Hipps says the pain of losing her son can be unbearable.
The suits said the fraternity had a long tradition of ‘requiring, pressuring, encouraging and forcing’ pledge members to jump off bridges over the lake and swim to shore.
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Plus, she said, he was an only child who was always looking to be around others.
