Indian-Origin UC Berkeley Student Paralysed After Fall At Frat House Party

A 21-year-old Indian-origin, who was just weeks away from graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, was paralysed from the waist down after falling from a balcony at a fraternity house party in April. Bandna Bhatti, who is pursuing a degree in Data Science, slipped and fell from an outdoor staircase at the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house at around 1 pm on April 19.

After the tragic fall, the woman did not receive proper medical treatment for roughly seven hours before her friends finally called 911, according to a report by FOX KTVU.

"She cannot walk. She cannot move her body," her mother, Sukh Bhatti, told KTVU. 

What Happened?

According to the family, Bhatti was at a fraternity party on Cal Day at UC Berkeley-- an annual open house for incoming freshmen and their families-- when she fell around 12 feet, landing on a narrow passageway outside the frat house. She struck her head on the way down, where she was left unattended for 15 minutes before being discovered by her friends, her family told KTVU.

Her friends then took her inside the fraternity house, but instead of calling emergency services, people at the frat house allegedly asked them to leave the party with her.  Unaware of the extent of her injuries, Bhatti's friends took her back to her nearby apartment, the family claimed.

Her friends reportedly called 911 around seven hours later. 

In addition to a spinal fracture that resulted in paralysis, Bhatti had sustained severe injuries, including tearing of the dura with spinal fluid leakage, a scapular fracture, and a brain hematoma, her sister Sonya Bhatti wrote in a GoFundMe page created to raise money for the college senior's medical care.

"She is currently hospitalised. These injuries are not only life-altering but will require extensive and ongoing medical care, including physical therapy, rehabilitation, and specialised support to help her navigate this new chapter," the page reads. 

The page mentioned that Bhatti was just three weeks away from graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in Data Science-"a milestone she had worked so hard for."

University Offers Support

UC Berkeley and the fraternity, meanwhile, said they are offering support to the student and her family. 

"UC Berkeley is aware of an ongoing police investigation regarding reports of a student being injured near or at a fraternity. Our thoughts are with the student, their family, loved ones and friends during this time. We are following our protocols to offer support to the student and their family," the university said in a statement to PEOPLE. 

"Our thoughts are with the individual and their loved ones during this challenging time. The health, safety and well-being of all individuals in our community remain our highest priority," Matt Arnold, the CEO of the national Phi Kappa Tau organisation, said in a statement to The New York Post.