Dangerous Drinking Accidents at Long Island College Parties and Bars

Long Island colleges, like Hofstra, Adelphi, and CW Post, are great learning centers but have their fair share of dangerous parties that may put your child at risk. We recently have been hearing about students who are unknowingly drugged by other students who find ways to gain access to prescription medications and spike drinks at bars and campus parties.

Has your son or daughter ever been out to Long Island college bars and woken up the next morning without any recollection of their night? Have they hallucinated and suffered memory loss after drinking at a fraternity party? If so, their drink may have been spiked, and you may be able to sue for any injuries.

In today’s college life, we hear about male students spiking girls’ drink and others thinking its funny or an initiation prank also will spike drinks with drugs such as Ruflin and Xanax. These drugs result in memory loss, and students are frequently physically and emotionally injured without any recollection of what happened the previous night.

What Should You Do If You Think Your Drink Was Spiked?

In a tricky scenario like this, the student should try and gather as much evidence as he or she can in order to prove that the drink was spiked.

For example:

• Find out if there were previous incidents at the bar or fraternity where a drink has been known to be spiked
• A blood test can be taken to check if drugs are in the victim’s system.
• Were there any other people who got similarly sick that night after drinking at the party or bar?
• If possible, have any leftover drinks from that night tested.
• See a doctor for a thorough examination and diagnosis and keep all medical records.
• Many victims of spiked drinks are also injured, assaulted or abused. It is important that any physical injuries that resulted are documented by being photographed and checked out by a doctor.

Anybody who spikes a drink may be sued in civil court, in addition to any criminal charges. If the party was on campus, the college may be liable. If it was at an off campus house, the homeowners may be liable. Obviously, with no direct recollection of the night, and no definitive proof of who spiked the drink, the situation could be a trickier one. However, it is nevertheless a very serious situation that has been occurring more and more due to the easy access of prescription medication. Students, male or female, need to realize that they may have a case in these situations, and shouldn’t bury their guilt while fearing a repeat incident.

Contact our Lawyers for More Information

At Goldstein & Bashner, our knowledgeable personal injury lawyers fully understand the traumatizing effects that a spiked drink may have on a developing adolescent, and will use our 40+ years of knowledge to get the most out of your rights. Contact us today for a free consultation and we can discuss your specific case and answer any questions you have.