A fraternity at the University of North Carolina Charlotte has been suspended following the death of 20-year-old Polly Rogers
A fraternity at the University of North Carolina Charlotte has been suspended after a 20-year-old sophomore student was killed when she fell out of a party bus window into traffic.
Kappa Sigma Fraternity said Thursday it had suspended the Kappa-Omega chapter at the university pending an investigation. The fraternity rented the party bus Tuesday night to take students from an off-campus house to an uptown bar to celebrate the end of the school year.
Around 10:25pm, special education student Polly Rogers fell out of an emergency window on the bus into the middle lane of a street and was struck by two vehicles. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
‘The Brothers of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Polly Rogers. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Rogers family and to her loved ones,’ the fraternity said in a statement. ‘We are in the process of conducting an investigation of the event on Tuesday evening. The Kappa Sigma Fraternity will fully cooperate with all investigations of the University and local authorities.’
Authorities said the party bus is owned by Charlotte Party Charters. Police are still investigating to determine if the window was supposed to be open or if someone opened it.
The Kappa-Omega frat rented the Charlotte Party Bus the night Rogers fell out of one of the window to take students to a bar
The bus has room for 50 people and was taking the youngster to a bar with her friends to celebrate the end of school
Rogers’ sorority sisters are now fundraising to help her family pay for her funeral
Victor Rabb, the owner of the bus company, told WBTV that in his 13 years of operation he’s never had an incident like this before.
Rabb also told the outlet that he thinks someone on the bus opened the emergency latch which made the window open wider.
Police said Rogers was struck by two vehicles when she fell out of window
‘I don’t know where she was sitting or standing or what – the window, of course, popped open and she fell out of the bus,’ he said, adding that his bus drivers go over safety rules before embarking on a trip.
‘We tell them to behave, for one, and part of that is obviously, along with the signage, is do not mess with the emergency windows unless it’s an emergency,’ he said. ‘There’s just no way to foresee anything like that. In fact, I can’t even think of a situation where anybody got hurt.’
A father of one of the students on the bus told WSOCT that Rogers was leaning against the window when it gave way and she fell out. The father also alleged that the emergency latches on the window were broken.
‘I don’t think the girl did anything wrong. All she did was lean against the window,’ he said.
Around 50 to 60 people were on the bus the night Rogers was killed. The bus seats 50.
A police report states that alcohol was being consumed on the bus, but an investigation is still underway to determine whether alcohol use was a factor in the incident.
According to the bus company’s website, persons under the age of 21 are not allowed to drink on the vehicle. A disclaimer states that it is the responsibility of the person who rents the bus to check ages. The website has since been taken down.
‘All I can say at this point is that one of the kids on the bus opened the emergency window and the lady fell out of the bus. This is one of the worst time of my life,’ Rabb told WSOCT. ‘I pray for her and her family.’
Victor Rabb, the owner of the party bus company, said he thinks someone on the bus opened the emergency latch causing the window to open wider
Rogers was described as a friendly person who was always making sure everyone was having a great day . Students are pictured at the scene of Tuesday’s accident
Rogers was a sophomore at UNC Charlotte studying special education. She was also a member of the sorority Zeta Tau Alpha,
An agent with the Alcohol Law Enforcement told the outlet that it is
the responsibility of the driver to make sure everyone drinking is 21 or over.
The agent also said they have had previous issues with the bus company.
‘We’ve seen violations at the previous encounters. Alcohol violations, some commercial motor vehicle violations,’ the agent said without elaborating. ‘We’re going to look back at what the detectives find out and see if we can trace a source of alcohol.’
So far charges have not been filed.
Roger’s sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, set up a GoFundMe to help her family pay for her funeral costs.
‘Polly was the friendliest person you would ever meet in your life. She could always be found in the common areas of the house greeting sisters after their day at classes and making sure their day was going great,’ chapter president Alexis Marie Burns said in a statement.