The trial of 18 Penn State fraternity members in the tragic wrongful death of 19-year-old Timothy Piazza paints a horrific picture of the night he died. Piazza’s death stoked a firestorm in the media due to the circumstances that led to his death as well as the attempted cover-up by fraternity members. Security footage from the night of his fatal injuries shows the young man participating in a drinking “gauntlet,” traveling between several stations throughout the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house and consuming copious amounts of beer, wine and liquor. After the fact, it was discovered that Piazza’s blood alcohol concentration was around 0.4, an almost fatal amount of alcohol. Soon after the gauntlet, Piazza appears clearly intoxicated, stumbling around the house. It is not long before he vanishes from view, tumbling down a set of stairs into the basement around 11:22 pm. The fall caused the first of Piazza’s…
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On February 2, Timothy Piazza, a New Jersey man attending a party at the Alpha Upsilon chapter house of Beta Theta Pi at Penn State experienced a series of injuries that ultimately led to his death two days later. An investigation of the circumstances of his death turned up evidence of heavy drinking, hazing and a cover up. The fraternity and 18 of its members now face charges numbering in the hundreds – involuntary manslaughter among others. The fraternity claimed to be a dry fraternity, though records showed over $1,000 was spent to purchase alcohol between Jan. 25 and Feb. 2, intended for use at the recruitment event where Piazza was injured. Phone chats through social media, as well as testimony from attendees of the event, confirmed that pledges to the frat were made to drink excessive amounts of alcohol in a short period of time, including a “gauntlet” involving…
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The road to recovery for victims of traumatic brain injury can be long and arduous, rife with obstacles and uncertainty. The need for treatment and rehabilitation can create difficulties at home and in the workplace. But despite the long process of bouncing back from a traumatic brain injury, those with TBI should not lose hope. Here is the story of a New Jersey man who was struck by a truck and suffered serious injuries, but was able to come back a year later to pursue his passions as an athlete. The Story of David Musicant David Musicant is a New Jersey man with a serious love of sports. He has completed several marathons and Ironman competitions all over the world. Have you ever woken up at 3:30am to bike 80 miles and then spent a full day at work? David has, many times – it’s one of his training regimens….
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