Louisiana family demands justice for son after he was reportedly pushed into a lake with friends and nearly died

On April 14, Christopher Gilbert suffered severe brain damage after nearly dying after having to be rescued from Lake D’Arbonne in Farmerville, KSLA reported. The recent graduate student from Louisiana Tech University was hanging out with some friends when one of them allegedly forced him into the water. After the push, another friend tried to catch him as he remained underwater, but was unsuccessful. The young adult was underwater for about ten minutes when he was rescued by an onlooker who was a customer at a nearby food stop. The unknown hero resuscitated the victim until the police arrived.

The 26-year-old’s mother, Yolanda George, and family claimed it was a well-known fact among her son’s circle of friends that he could not swim. She shared in an interview with KTLA that she heard about the incident from a friend of his who witnessed the physical attack.

“A friend of his called and she was crying hysterically. She told me that Chris fell into the lake and was underwater for about ten minutes,” she told the news station.

Doctors described Christopher Gilbert’s survival as a “miracle” after he was reportedly pushed into a lake by his friends and left underwater for almost ten minutes. https://t.co/OdpzVmidI5 pic.twitter.com/hFoVFvGYB0

— Action News 5 (@WMCActionNews5) May 6, 2024

Gilbert was flown to a Louisiana State University medical center for treatment. When George learned the severity of her son’s injuries, she was overcome with shock and sadness because she knew his dreams.

“The doctor called us and told me he was brain dead at that point and the rest of his organs were starting to fail,” she said. “That we had 72 hours on the ECMO machine. It’s a bit like dialysis for the lungs and they had to put him on a ventilator.”

Initially, Gilbert’s mother spoke to KNOE and said he lost consciousness and had to be put on life support due to the accident. He eventually regained consciousness, was temporarily taken off life support, and had to learn to eat again. Due to the near-fatal injuries, Gilbert’s family is seeking help from the authorities so that this incident does not just pass by. Claudia Payne, the family’s attorney, revealed to KSLA that the group of friends initially told attorneys that the LTU alumni had accidentally fallen into the water. After police investigated the evidence further, it was discovered that he was indeed pushed by an unnamed girlfriend.

“In the legal field, we characterize matters as we see fit. Of course they say horseplay. We say it was an intentional criminal push into the lake,” the lawyer told KSLA.

On April 18, a Change.org petition was launched “to ensure that the Farmerville Police Department does their job and arrests the appropriate individuals involved in this tragedy.” The current goal for signatures is 5,000 and over 4,400 people have signed it so far.

“While my office has been retained to civilly represent the family, nothing else is necessary for a law enforcement agency within this jurisdiction to make an arrest,” Payne wrote. “Our office would like the community’s support in requesting that the Farmerville Police Department and/or the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office make an arrest of the known individual who pushed Chris into the lake.”