WSU student in critical condition after falling from balcony
PULLMAN, Wash. -- A Washington State University student is in critical condition at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane after falling from a fraternity house balcony on College Hill early Sunday morning.
The incident occurred around 1 a.m. when 19-year-old Griffin Healey fell from a second-story balcony at the Lambda Chi Alpha house on Colorado Street.
Witnesses told Pullman police that Healey, a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, was trying to sit on a railing when he lost his balance and fell backwards, landing on his head.
Officers say Healey was unconscious but breathing when they arrived on scene. Police confirmed alcohol was involved.
Healey was taken to Pullman Regional Hospital and then transported to Sacred Heart.
This is the fifth time a college student has fallen from a building on the Palouse this year, the fourth involving a Washington State University student.
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KXLY is a media partner of KOMO News.
The incident occurred around 1 a.m. when 19-year-old Griffin Healey fell from a second-story balcony at the Lambda Chi Alpha house on Colorado Street.
Witnesses told Pullman police that Healey, a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, was trying to sit on a railing when he lost his balance and fell backwards, landing on his head.
Officers say Healey was unconscious but breathing when they arrived on scene. Police confirmed alcohol was involved.
Healey was taken to Pullman Regional Hospital and then transported to Sacred Heart.
This is the fifth time a college student has fallen from a building on the Palouse this year, the fourth involving a Washington State University student.
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KXLY is a media partner of KOMO News.
Minors, alcohol and 1 a.m. - never a good mix! Â I do hope the young man recovers fully.
First let me say, and I mean this sincerely, I hope this young man makes a full recovery. With that out of the way, how many more drunken college students need to fall from dorm balconies before the colleges remove them and bar the windows? These young people are not adults and should not be treated as such. They are neither old enough or mature enough to be placed in an unsupervised situation such as is presented by these balconies.    Â
Isn't this the third or fourth one this year? They don't seem to be learning so good over in Pullman.
 @belsnickles I think you were trying to say, "They don't seem to be learning so well over in Pullman." Try to get the grammar correct before you make a comment about education.
 @GOCOUGS  @belsnickles a coug who think's he knows his grammar... there's something new.
 @belsnickles Wow - letting your college rivalries get in the way of compassion for a student, a son, that many people care about? Stay classy.
The internet----bringing every donkey right into your living room.Â
Another out of control drunk has fallen. If you're in college (no matter what you age) to party and drink, you're in school for the wrong reasons. Educate yourself and GROW UP!!!Â
Evolution in action. Cruel, but true.
We've actually already began deevolution---(comments like yours as proof)
"Police confirmed alcohol was involved"
Now there's a shocker!
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"This is the fifth time a college student has fallen from a building on the Palouse this year, the fourth involving a Washington State University student."
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Doesn't that make a trend? I know WSU used to be known as a real party school.........apparently not much has changed. But on a sympathetic note, I certainly hope these students live through their drunken escapades. So they can lecture their own children 20 years from now.
I'd like to shed a little light on something Susabelle. Yes, i hope my nephew lives through his drunken escapades too. Funny thing is, he doesnt do drunken escapades and happens to be a very fine gentleman whom is very responsible...so, please, before you go throwing around assumptions like that, know exactly what it is you are talking about... o.k. rude ass
 @Susabelle Get over yourself.  Every college is a party school - go to UW, Western, etc - they all drink and have parties similar to the next.
They drink at every college, you are correct. They're just not as stupid when they're hammered.
 @SaraS So I guess that makes it okay then. All kids do it.........dont be such a drag........ Please! I guess I'm just supposed accept the fact that a young boy, who is at the beginning of his life has endangered it for a stupid party. Perhaps you feel this was just a silly accident and the drinking on or off campus by underage kids is just fine... I actually am Very sorry that this young man is hurt, I'm sorry for the hurt that his mother is feeling because of his poor choices. That does not change the fact that his choices caused this. Excessive alcohol caused this and if my comment made you think I think poorly about drunken parties with kids too young to drink? Good, I do.Â
 @Smartypants Actually, I apologize for my rant, because one thing is very true and that is that someone is in critical condition and a mother is also in agonizing pain. I know, been there done that, have the T-shirt. I just lost it with the teenage rant of "all the kids are doing it". This is nothing new, from the time my father went to college, through my own kids and nieces and nephews and I'm sure my grandchildren as well. It doesnt make it right and it makes me mad to see it.
 @Susabelle Right on, Susabelle!  It went on when I was young, but it seems to go on more frequently now & more kids drink more heavily.  It never was a good idea & it still isn't - it's a poor choice all around.
Assuming he survives, I had to laugh a little. Why on Earth would you think it a good idea to sit on a railing on a balcony so high in the air? Even drunk! Sigh, these kids....are our future.
ASSUMING HE SURVIVES ??? YOU HAD TO LAUGH A LITTLE ??
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You don't even know who you are talking about do you.???
That kid is an awesome kid and he is our future and he will be a great individual and have some class about it as well..You know whats scary to me ?? Having YOU in the present, you thoughtless worm !!!
I hope he'll be OK. Â Maybe he made a bad decision, but who hasn't? Â We were just lucky not to pay with our lives.
 @Doxie I'm just thanking my lucky stars we didnt have camera phones when I was college age......as far as I know, any incriminating evidence of my past decision making abilities was long destroyed
Shocked at some of the comments. This is someones child! Â Sending all the posttive thoughts I have to Griffin's recovery and to all that love him!
Yes, you are right, it is someones child...its my brothers child and he happens to be a great in dividual. I am seriously apaulled at alot of these posts..
To all you people that have zero kooth about yourself ? go to the kitchen, open the drawer and grab a spoon...then eat my ....
 @WSUmom I am shocked too, WSU mom.  Some of these people are leading me to question humanity.
Aren't people great...???
I think most of us have done stupid stuff or drank too much at least once (or in my case, more than once). I really hope he is ok and recovers from this.Â
 @The WA Mama You are right WA Mama.  There appear to be a lot of perfect people on here missing the empathy chip.
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 @sorbothegeek What a D-bag comment to make. Must be awesome to have never made a bad decision in your life, so much so that you feel the need to make fun of those who have. How easy it is sitting there in your stained boxers and wife beater tee shirt to cast judgement on other's misfortune. Get a life.
 @sorbothegeek Is this supposed to be funny?
You would think that after one, two, three, no...four falls from balconies this year that the lesson would be learned. How many more of these 'incidents' do they need before they finally get it?
@Koreanman012  REMEMBER: This is Wazoo.  Unfortunately, alcohol-related injuries are common to EVERY university, but seems to be most previlent at WSU because they are serious enough to warrant media coverage.
 No amount of lecture, reprimand, reminders, sanctions, etc.... will EVER solve the problem. It's preaching to the choir.Â
 @newsreader These accidents are occurring on private property.  What do you expect the school to do?  Pay for the window screens and removal of all public balconies in Pullman?Get a grip.
 @newsreader "Preaching to the choir" would be giving us seasoned adults, who already know better, the lecture about drinking too much, not giving it to the students who apparently need to hear it but don't pay attention and learn.Â
 @Koreanman012 As long as there is booze idiots will fall, get maimed, poison themselves, etc, etc
WSU students don't seem so bright. Â Maybe that's why they are there? Â
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Maybe the administration should build all future buildings as 1 story to protect their students from themselves. Â
 @lakeview He fell of  a railing, that doesn't make anyone stupid! However you comment  and many others may possibly qualify as ignorant.
 @WSUmom  @lakeview Lakeview, I find it hard to believe anyone cares what your scored on your SATs or what college you went to .  I am so sad you don't seem to care at all that a young man's life is in peril and that you and others would rather spew vitriol.
 @lakeview A friend of mine died doing this very thing at UW. Don't try to blame it on a school, blame it on the individual.
 @Snazzy Weasel  @lakeview Sorry about your friend, it just feels so wrong to LIKE an anecdote such as this one, but hopefully you know it's your general message getting the thumbs up, not what happened to your buddy.Â
 @lakeview You can find plenty of instances of mutt students falling out of windows. Sometimes it doesn't end so well for them.
@lakeview Really. You are going to lump all WSU students as not being bright? Real mature. My boyfriend who is a Mechanical Engineering student there is extremely bright, and in a top notch program. His SAT score is probably quite a bit higher than yours ;). Lets not hate on WSU for this incident. Irresponsible students.
 @SamanthaD  @lakeview  4 WSU students falling from balconies this year already?  You don't think that there is a pattern of stupidity here?  And no offense, but I got my degree at a better school than your boyfriend.  Not sure why you brought that up.  But as for SATs, his math score was probably higher than mine, but I was near perfect in English. Â
What school is your degree from and what is your basis for judging one university as "better" than another?
let's ban balconiesÂ
 @Komo Dragon Calm down, no need to panic here! You outlaw balconies and only outlaws will have balconies!
Then how do the rest of us law-abiding citizens take care of real threats in our homes, Â such as the idiots who keep pressing down on the grilling hamburgers, squishing out all the juice? Or run their nasty licked finger over the nozzle of the ketchup bottle?
How are we supposed to lawfully remove such dangerous, barbecue-ruining vermin if we have no balconies to throw them off of?Â
Please try not to have these knee-jerk reactions to media stories!
 @Komo Dragon only balconies with guns
With all the enormous tuition revenue, one would think they could incorporate safety-catch netting below each balcony in the Pullman area - that way these types of stories where underage drinking results in shenanigans won't have to repeatedly take up otherwise valuable news space...
 @Throbbinhood How about trampolines instead, so they can just bounce right back up again? By the time they're seniors they'll be able to pull it off without spilling a drop of beer.Â
 @MargeGunderson  @Throbbinhood No, dont give them trampolines........I can just see an episode from "JackAss" in the making......... pools involved, there will be contests, I just see bad things happening.....
Frats and high rise dorms, throw in some alcohol and this is getting really old. Where is the oversight?
 @Citizen#3457899654 The problem is that there is too MUCH oversight when they are young, and so they do not learn to properly judge risk when they are older and on their own.
 @RN1  @Citizen#3457899654 People used to have more kids, but less made it to adulthood. Evolution at work. Smart people live to make more kids, dumb people die off to make room for the smart ones. Many of our current day problems come from catering to and trying to protect stupid people from themselves, including children.
 @Elaine2  @dg54321 Also, this is an exception â far too often, the idiots hurt innocent victims, not themselves. Look at the DUI problem, the morons who throw gas on campfires, stupid fireworks tricks, etc. etc.Â
 @dg54321  @RN1  @Citizen#3457899654 I completely agree with the too oversight and overprotection causing much of our current day problems.
But somehow, plenty of idiots are still managing to breed at a higher rate than those with common sense. So I guess that means it could be a lot worse?Â
@dg54321 - depends on how far back you are talking - more kids, less made it to adulthood wasn't always dumb stuff but disease caused before vaccines, etc.
 @Citizen#3457899654 People do dumb and dangerous things.  What kind of oversight are you talking about? Â