The family of a Northeastern University student is suing a sorority and a building property manager after she suffered severe injuries after falling from an apartment building window in 2023.
Videos by Suggest
According to the complaint filed at the Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston, Mass. earlier this year, the family of college student Sarah Cox accused the Phi Omega Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority and Ramos Properties II of negligence and failure to warn.
It was revealed in the complaint that Cox, who was a junior and a member of the sorority at the time, was in a kitchen with her sisters and friends at a party. It was located in a second-floor apartment. While the kitchen was crowded, Cox ended up falling out of a window, landing on the driveway below.
“The distance from the window to the driveway was approximately 20 feet or more,” the complaint stated. “Sarah has suffered catastrophic injuries as a result of the fall,” the complaint stated. There were reportedly 30 people in the apartment during the party.
The independent student newspaper at Northeastern University, The Huntington News, reported that Cox was in a “catatonic state” since the fall. Court documents revealed she is currently in a pediatric nursing home.
The Family Accuses Sorority and Apartment Management of Negligence, Failure to Warn
The lawsuit alleges that the sorority “had a duty to ensure that their members prevent dangerous conditions during Sorority-related activities and events safe for those attending such events.”
The lawsuit stated the sorority should have known its members would use the apartment to “engage in drinking alcohol.”
Ramos Properties II, which owns the apartment complex, is also accused of negligence and failure to warn. The family accused the company of not keeping the complex safe. This is by securing screens for windows low enough for people to “easily fall out of.”
The family further stated Ramos Properties II “knew or should have known that a person could fall through such windows.”
Cox’s family states in the complaint they are now seeking a jury trial. “As a result of the severity of her injuries, Sarah will continue to permanently rely on her parents.”
“Batul Kazim and William Cox’s lives are significantly restructured,” the complaint added. “Because they now have to provide care and support of every aspect of Sarah’s life 24 hours per day and 7 days per week on a permanent basis.”
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe has been started for Cox’s road to recovery. Sarah’s brother launched the fundraiser just after the accident. It has so far raised more than $127,000.