Christopher Gilbert, an aspiring doctor, was pushed into a Louisiana lake by friends who claimed not to know he couldn’t swim. After nearly drowning, he has made a remarkable recovery and is now talking and eating again. Doctors had originally described him as practically brain dead and had put him on life support machines, but he has since been taken off life support and is recuperating physically. However, he is still working on memory loss problems shortly after the incident.
Gilbert spent approximately ten minutes underwater after being pushed by a friend off a dock at a Farmerville restaurant. Despite being submerged for an extended period of time, the group of friends failed to pull him from the lake. Dawson Foust, a restaurant patron who was not connected to the group, heroically dove into the water to rescue him. Gilbert’s family is planning a civil suit against the restaurant, Rhett’s Tails and Shells, alleging that it failed to properly restrict access to the lake despite serving alcohol.
In addition to seeking legal action against the restaurant, Gilbert’s family is also seeking the arrest of the woman who allegedly pushed him into the lake. They believe that the friends involved in the incident are not facing repercussions because they are white, while Gilbert is black. The family wants the letter of the law to be followed without any outsized persecution of the woman involved. The family’s attorney, Claudia Payne, expressed frustration at the lack of action by law enforcement, pointing out that if the situation was reversed, Gilbert would likely have been arrested.
The Farmerville Police declined to comment on the case, citing an ongoing investigation into the incident. Conflicting reports from Gilbert’s friends initially stated that he had fallen into the water, but later admitted to pushing him during horseplay. Video footage from the day of the incident shows the group of friends standing by while Gilbert was in the water, further complicating the case. Despite the friends’ claims that they were unaware of Gilbert’s inability to swim, his mother asserts that everyone knew about his lack of swimming ability as he would often joke about it.
The details surrounding the incident involving Christopher Gilbert remain unclear as the legal proceedings continue. Gilbert’s recovery from a near-fatal drowning highlights the importance of safety precautions and responsible behavior around bodies of water. The legal action taken by his family aims to hold those responsible accountable for their actions and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. As Gilbert continues his physical and mental recovery, his family seeks justice and closure for the traumatic events that unfolded on that fateful day at the Farmerville restaurant.
