A woman reached a settlement with a USC fraternity chapter and an event-planning company after she suffered a head injury when a drone that was being used to photograph attendees at a frat party fell on her in 2015.
Lawyers for Alina 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 and alleged negligence and premises liability.
The suit stated that Pituch arrived about 11 p.m. Oct. 3, 2015, for a "Glow Party" that was being held in the back yard of the frat house. The Perfect Event was hired to produce the party and employed the operator of the drone that was taking images of those present, according to the suit.
About 15 to 20 minutes after Pituch arrived, 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. "(Putich's) head immediately began to bleed vigorously from her wounds."
The object was later identified as the drone, according to her complaint.
Pituch said she suffered injuries to the back of her head, forehead and left eye, and also felt dizzy and became disoriented due to the blow.
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Pituch's friends assisted her in getting to the front curb of the frat house and she was taken by ambulance to a hospital, according to her court papers.
Pituch has permanent scarring on her head and forehead and has met with plastic surgeons to discuss her injuries, the suit stated. As a result of being hurt, her ability to focus on school work has been "compromised" and she still experiences headaches that affect her concentration while studying, according to her complaint.
