An aspiring medical student was pushed into a Louisiana lake by his friends last month despite knowing he couldn’t swim, leaving him brain dead and then watching without doing anything to save him from drowning, according to a report. .
shocking video The group is seen casually peering into the water shortly after pushing Christopher Gilbert off the dock at Lake D’Arbonne in Farmerville on April 14.
At least one woman can be seen slowly walking into the water before abandoning rescue efforts.
After another 10 minutes, patrons from a nearby restaurant intervened and narrowly pulled Gilbert back to shore.
The 26-year-old boy was brain dead and his remaining organs had begun to fail by the time his mother, Yolanda George, arrived at a local hospital. he told KSLA.
He spent 72 hours on a ventilator and an ECMO machine, which George described as “dialysis for the lungs.”
“I was devastated. I felt like my life was over at that moment. My son is going to be a doctor, my son is going to be a doctor. He’s preparing for medical school, so for this to happen to him…I was just shocked,” George said.
Police say his so-called friends initially tried to pass off the near-death incident as “horseplay”.
They even lied to George shortly after he was rescued, saying: Her mother said Chris fell into the lake and was underwater for about 10 minutes. ” her mother said.
Eventually, a white woman around Gilbert’s age admitted pushing him into the lake.
But none of Gilbert’s friends admitted they knew he couldn’t swim, a claim his family finds hard to believe.
“To add insult to injury, after shoving him away, no one from his ‘friend group’ followed him in. Instead, two brave bystanders who had no connection to Chris… “A person heard the commotion and pulled Chris’ body from the lake,” personal injury attorney Claudia Payne, who is representing George, said in the report. Obtained by Lincoln Parish Journal.
Fortunately, Gilbert has made progress since the merciless attack.
George said he is cognitively responsive but unable to speak. He remains dependent on life support and his lung capacity is said to be at 20%.
The family is also calling for arrests in the tragic incident, alleging that Payne’s friends showed criminal intent by pushing him into the lake.
“Why did you push your son into the lake if he couldn’t swim?” asked George.
