Mumbai, May 6: A 21-year-old Indian-origin student at the University of California, Berkeley, has been left paralysed from the waist down after falling from a balcony at a fraternity house party just weeks before her graduation.  Her mother, Sukh Bhatti, shared the heartbreaking details with KTVU, revealing that her daughter now faces the unimaginable as she struggles with paralysis, unable to move her body.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, Bandna Bhatti tragically fell from an external staircase at the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house around 1 pm on April 19, sustaining severe injuries that left her paralysed. Devastated by the extent of her injuries, her family has launched a GoFundMe campaign, aiming to raise USD 450,000 to cover the mounting medical expenses for her treatment and recovery. Anita Indira Anand, George Chahal: 2 Indian-Origin MPs Among Key Contenders To Replace Justin Trudeau As Canada PM, Chrystia Freeland Also in Race.

How Did a Fraternity Party Fall Change Bandna Bhatti’s Life Forever?

Bandna Bhatti's life was turned into a tragedy when she fell off a balcony outside the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house during a party at the University of California, Berkeley, on April 19. The incident occurred around 1 pm,

She was attending the Cal Day event, a campus open house for future students and their families, when she fell close to 12 feet, hitting her head and landing in a thin passageway. By some miracle, she was there for about 15 minutes before anyone discovered her and brought her inside. Ranjani Srinivasan, Indian Student, ‘Self-Deports’ From US After Visa Revoked Over Pro-Palestine Protests (Watch Video).

Her family reported that her friends sent her initial assistants away. Her friends later dropped her off at her apartment without knowing how seriously she was injured. Emergency services were not contacted at the time. It wasn't until seven hours later that 911 was finally called.

By the time this happened, the damage had been catastrophic. Bandna sustained a spinal fracture that left her paralysed from the waist down. She also suffered from a number of other injuries, including leakage of spinal fluid, a fractured shoulder blade, and a brain hematoma.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 06, 2025 09:22 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).