Woman settles lawsuit with USC frat and event-planning company after being hit in the head with a drone

A woman who was hit in the head with a drone at a 2015 frat party, settles the lawsuit with USC fraternity Pi Kappa Phi’s Delta Rho Chapter and event planner, Perfect Event Inc. according to documents filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court on April 12. According to her lawyers, the lawsuit was resolved. No terms were divulged.

Drone had hit woman in the head at a frat party

This news story goes back to 2015 when Alina Pituch was hit in the head with a drone from an event planning company during USC frat party from thePi Kappa Phi’s Delta Rho Chapter, the LA Times reported. Pituch had suffered an injury to her head as she was struck by the unmanned aerial device.

Lawyers for Pituch filed documents April 12 in Los Angeles Superior Court stating that her lawsuit against Pi Kappa Phi’s Delta Rho Chapter and the Perfect Event Inc. was resolved. No terms were divulged. The defendants denied any wrongdoing. USC was not a defendant in the suit, which was filed in September 2016.

The documents disclose that Pituch arrived at the USC frat party around 11pm on October 3, 2015, for a “Glow Party”, that took place in the backyard of the frat house. The event planner, Perfect Event, was hired to take aerial photographs of the attendees at the party.

After about 15 to 20 minutes after Pituch’s arrival, a “heavy object fell on (her) head, causing her to stumble forward into a friend, who caught (Putich) before she fell down,” the suit stated. Pituch’s “head immediately began to bleed vigorously from her wounds.”

The object was later identified as a drone, according to her complaint.

According to Pituch, she suffered injuries to the back of her head, forehead, and left eye, and also felt dizzy and became disoriented after the blow. According to court papers, Pituch’s friends assisted her in getting to the front curb of the frat house.

The suit also states that Pituch has permanent scarring on her head and forehead and has met with plastic surgeons to discuss her injuries. The injury has“compromised” her ability to do schoolwork and she still suffers from headaches, affecting her concentration, according to the documents.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) explicitly prohibits both hobbyist and commercial drone pilots from flying over crowds and this is exactly why. Most drones are heavy enough that when they fall out of the sky, and this does happen, just ask GoPro, they can inflict serious bodily harm. Please learn the FAA rules before flying your drone, if you haven’t done so already, and safe flying!

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Photo: Wikipedia