Cal Day is supposed to sell families on the UC Berkeley experience, not land a student in a hospital with life-changing injuries. Yet that is exactly what one undergrad says happened, and she is now taking some of the university's most powerful players to court.
A UC Berkeley student who was paralyzed after falling from an exterior stairway at a fraternity house in April has filed a civil lawsuit alleging the chapter, its national organization and university officials failed to summon help and hid the severity of her injuries. The complaint, filed this week, seeks damages for catastrophic injuries the suit says left her permanently disabled. The case centers on an incident during Cal Day in which the student fell from a steel stairway and landed on concrete.
According to The Berkeley Scanner, the complaint says Bandna Bhatti fell roughly 14 feet from a backyard steel stairway on April 19 and "suffered catastrophic injuries," including a spinal cord injury causing paralysis, a skull fracture, traumatic brain injury and multiple broken bones. The suit alleges members of Phi Kappa Tau at 2335 Piedmont Ave. found Bhatti motionless, carried her into the house and put her on a couch "without any spinal precautions," rather than calling 911. It also claims an alumnus urged friends to remove Bhatti so the chapter would not get in trouble, and that friends then carried her several blocks away instead of summoning emergency services.
Local coverage at the time described a delayed emergency response and the extent of Bhatti's injuries. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Bhatti was treated at Highland Hospital and that her injuries included a shattered T12 vertebra, a brain bleed and other trauma. Her sister's GoFundMe shows more than $133,000 has been raised to cover medical care and rehabilitation.
According to KTVU, the fraternity's national office said it was "deeply concerned" and cooperating with investigators. The station also quoted Bhatti's mother saying her daughter could not walk. Friends organized fundraising events and runs in her honor, and the station reported that 911 was not called until several hours after the fall.
Stairway Safety Takes Center Stage
The suit says the exterior stairway lacked compliant guardrails, had been the subject of written notice to repair and yet remained in use as a "social platform" during big events like Cal Day. Those details are spelled out in the court papers, which accuse the chapter of allowing guests to gather on the landing despite known hazards. The complaint names the local chapter, the Phi Kappa Tau national organization and a fraternity foundation, along with the University of California regents and others as defendants, according to The Berkeley Scanner.
Not The First Frat-Area Fall
The filing arrives amid renewed scrutiny of off-campus Greek houses after earlier serious falls and safety incidents. A separate lawsuit was filed after a 2023 Cal Day rooftop fall, which local outlets reported, and the city and campus still reckon with the 2015 balcony collapse that prompted tighter inspections and code changes. SFGATE covered the 2023 rooftop case, and Berkeleyside has chronicled the 2015 tragedy and its aftermath.
What Comes Next In Court
KTVU reports that Phi Kappa Tau's national office said it was "deeply concerned" and cooperating, and the San Francisco Chronicle says UC Berkeley is aware of the incident and following its protocols. Civil claims of this type typically move slowly as parties exchange documents and statements, and the complaint's allegations will be tested through discovery and motions. Hoodline will monitor court filings and official statements and report updates.
Bhatti has written about progress in therapy and her readiness to seek work, and her supporters say each rehabilitation milestone has been hard-won. The GoFundMe campaign and community fundraisers reflect ongoing local support as the legal case moves forward. We'll update this space as new filings or official responses become available.
