A new witness has come forward in the case of Tucker Hipps, a Clemson University fraternity pledge who fell to his death last year under mysterious circumstances.
The family has new testimony from a member of the fraternity who said he saw the incident take place.
Some fraternity brothers of Sigma Phi Epsilon went on a run with Hipps at about 5 a.m. on Sept. 22, 2014, and it was originally reported that he fell behind before being reported as missing at 2 p.m., according to FitsNews.com.
The 19-year-old died when he fell from a bridge, plunging into a shallow part of Lake Hartwell in South Carolina. The autopsy ruled that the injuries sustained were indeed consistent with smashing into rocks in the water, according to the New York Daily News.
The family believes that the truth is being covered up and something more foul was at play.
New court documents show that the family believes the teen was being forced to balance on the bridge railing before falling to his death during a fraternity hazing event.
Believing that his death was ultimately the result of hazing fueled by Hipps' refusal to buy the fraternity breakfast, the family has filed two civil lawsuits against the university, the fraterntiy and three members involved in the incident, seeking $25 million from each, according to Raw Story.com.
The family wants to update the lawsuit with testimony from the new witness, who says Hipps "was forced to walk the rail, slipped from the railing and caught the railing under his arms."
There are also allegations of certain members lying about Hipps' whereabouts and covering up the truth.
The fraternity members claim that Hipps fell on his own and his death was a result of his own negligence. They have asked that the case be dismissed.
