WILBERFORCE — Today, a family filed a lawsuit against Wilberforce University.
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They said their daughter died because of an alcohol hazing ritual on campus.
Savanna Jones’ family is now suing over her on-campus death at Wilberforce University in April.
Jones was wrapping up her freshman year at Wilberforce University this spring.
In the new lawsuit filed in Greene County, the family’s lawyer said Jones died because she was hazed on campus.
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The court document states Jones was going through initiation with “a social drinking club” known as “the turtles” on a campus where alcohol is not allowed.
Jones was required to drink a bottle of liquor that night as a part of a ritual called “crossing turtles,” the lawsuit states.
It alleges that “she became visibly and dangerously intoxicated to the point that she could not stand.”
Her family’s lawyer writes she was carried back to her dorm room across campus, where she was left and where she died hours later.
The civil wrongful death lawsuit names the university, its housing director, a student, and 30 Jane and John Does as defendants.
Rex Elliot is the Columbus-based lawyer representing Jones’ family.
“All of this happened in Henderson Hall, in a residence hall on campus, in a dorm room with a lot of people congregating in that room, and nothing was done to stop the turtle crossing, and nothing was done to help Savanna when she became dangerously unresponsive and clearly suffering from the effects of alcohol intoxication,” Elliott said.
He said the family is devastated.
“It’s something they’ll live with forever. It’s a hole that will never go away from them. Again, they have incredibly strong faith, but they are devastated over the loss of their daughter,” Elliott said.
His goal of the lawsuit is change.
“To make sure that universities understand that they have a responsibility to monitor what goes on on their campuses. And we cannot have another young kid die from a senseless hazing ritual like Savanna Jones did,” he said.
The Greene County Sheriff’s Office said it will follow a standard for every case, and once their investigation is complete, they will forward it to the prosecutor’s office to determine if the case is criminal.
News Center7 reached out to Wilberforce University for comment today.
They said they are reviewing the request.
We have not heard back.
We will continue to follow this story.
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