Parents Of The Clemson Pledge Who Was Found Dead On Campus Sue His Fraternity, Say He Died After He Didn't Buy Everyone McDonald's Breakfast
NYDN – A Clemson University student who was found floating in a lake near campus six months ago was killed after a fight with frat brothers over McDonald’s breakfast food, the student’s parents allege in a lawsuit.
The $25 million wrongful death suit filed Monday by the parents of Tucker Hipps claims that brothers at Clemson’s Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter began the breakfast-based brawl that resulted in their 19-year-old son’s accidental death.
On the night of Sept. 21, freshman Hipps attended a chapter meeting and got texts from several brothers hours later about a campus run planned for pledges the next morning, court records say. One brother, Bryan Golnek, texted Hipps demanding he bring “30 McDonalds biscuits, 30 McDonalds hash browns, and 2 gallons of chocolate milk” to the frat house for the run, records show.
Hipps replied that he didn’t have enough cash to finance the feast, and would need his pledge brothers to chip in. Those brothers “either could not purchase the biscuits or forgot to purchase the biscuits before the run.”
After the early morning run, during which the reportedly sober Hipps had a hard time keeping pace, frat member Thomas King called fellow brother Brian Golak and said he was “pissed off” the pledges didn’t have their McDonald’s breakfasts.
“Upon information and belief, Defendant King confronted Tucker about the Pledges’ failure to bring the requested McDonalds breakfast…Defendant King and Tucker had a confrontation over the Pledges’ failure to bring the requested McDonalds breakfast,” records say.
During the dispute, Hipps allegedly went over a bridge railing, falling headfirst into Lake Hartwell.
The court records are unclear about how this might have happened, not directly accusing anyone of pushing Hipps and also noting the frat has “a long tradition” of members forcing pledges to jump off the bridge and swim to shore.
[Screenshots via Jordan Sargent]
Sad, weird stuff coming out of Clemson. I mean it’s tragic enough when a 19 year old college kid dies under any circumstances. Can’t even imagine what it’s like to go through that as a parent. But then to hear all of these details? About McDonalds’ biscuits, hash browns, chocolate milk, pledge runs, traditions of jumping off bridges and swimming to shore. Such petty shit that, in his parents’ mind right now at least, cost their son his life. I stick up for frats a lot for dumb stuff like theme parties and harmless partying when the PC police jump all over them, but if these allegations turn out to be true and they were responsible for the death of a pledge and then a cover up about it? There’s no defense in the world for something as fucked up as that.