Tucker Hipps: 19-Year-Old Frat Pledge ‘Forced’ To Balance On Bridge Rail Before Plummeting To His Death

Tucker Hipps died in September 2014 after he fell off of a bridge headfirst. The 19-year-old frat pledge had participated in a dangerous activity, and, according to Raw Story, it sounds like he was actually forced to do so by Sigma Phi Epsilon frat brothers. New information suggests that Tucker Hipps was actually following the orders of fraternity brothers who told him to balance on a bridge rail for an unknown amount of time.

Sadly, the report indicates that Hipps did not die when he initially fell. After Hipps fell, he “tried to climb back up,” but no one would help him. He lost his grip, falling a second time, and that’s when he hit his head on a rock. It is unknown how soon after the second fall Hipps died, or if he died on impact, but the Inquisitr reports that it took the other frat brothers seven hours to notify campus police. Many feel that the Clemson University students were hoping not to get in trouble, and that waiting would somehow get them off the hook. While Tucker Hipps’ family previously filed a lawsuit, the defense said that it was the boy’s own negligence that caused his death, and that blame couldn’t be placed on anyone else. Learning this new information, however, the family has plans to update the lawsuit. They are seeking $25 million.

According to WYFF 4, Hipps’ mother says that she always believed that there was more to the story than what she was originally told. She says that she truly believed that Tucker died in a “hazing” incident, and she is hopeful that the whole truth will come out.

“With this latest information it gives me hope there are answers. There is someone out there that knows exactly what happened. Someone knows the whole truth. It’s reassuring to know there are people out there that know the truth and people’s consciences are starting to get to them. I am hopeful that with more truth and each little piece of evidence comes to light, it keeps adding a little piece to the puzzle and keeps giving us a little more insight to what actually happened that morning,” said Cindy Hipps.

She also hopes that others will learn from this.

“I know there are people out there looking at their policies and procedures, and my hope is hazing is totally done away with and eradicated from our college campuses nationwide,” she said.

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