Berkeley student, 21, paralyzed from the waist down after devastating and tragic fall at frat house party

A University of California, Berkeley student, just weeks from graduating, was paralyzed from the waist down after suffering a “tragic and devastating” fall at a fraternity house party in April. Bandna Bhatti, 21, slipped and fell from an external metal staircase at the Phi Kappa Tau house around 1 p.m.on April 19.

She wasn’t seen by medical professionals until roughly seven hours later when friends finally called 911, according to KTVU.“Our beloved sister, Bandna, only 21 years old, was just three weeks away from graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in Data Science — a milestone she had worked so hard for — when our world was turned upside down,” her sister Sonya Bhatti wrote in a GoFundMe page created to raise money for the college senior’s medical care.“We received the kind of call no family ever wants to get.

Bandna had suffered a tragic and devastating fall,” Sonya added.Bhatti plunged at least 12 feet, landing on a narrow passageway outside the frat house and striking her head on the way down.She lay there for 15 minutes before she was discovered by her friends and taken inside the fraternity house, her family told KTVU.But people at the frat house allegedly told those who brought her inside that they had to go, the family members said.

So Bhatti’s friends, unaware of the extent of her injuries, took her back to her nearby apartment.  Seven hours after she fell, 911 was finally called, the local station reported.In addition to the paralyzing spinal fracture, Bhatti also sustained other severe injuries, according to the GoFundMe page. “Including tearing of the dura with spinal fluid leakage, a scapular fracture, and a brain hematoma.

She is currently hospitalized,” her sister wrote.The horrifying accident happened on Cal Day, an annual open house for incoming freshmen and their families.Police are looking into the incident but are not commenting on the details of the investigation.

The university, meanwhile, said it’s o...