A Georgia Tech student has filed suit against the school and a Cobb County metal fabricator, blaming them for injuries he suffered when a hand rail broke and he fell off Tech's iconic car, the Ramblin' Wreck.
The suit, filed Wednesday in Fulton Superior Court, names Tech, the company and the state of Georgia as defendants. The suit holds Tech responsible for “promoting the unsafe use of a vehicle by students.”
Georgia Tech and Eco-Clean Inc., the Cobb County business that installed the railings, both declined to comment Thursday.
Nicholas Brown, a member of the Ramblin' Reck Club, a student group that cares for the iconic 1930 Ford Model A Sports Coupe, was standing on the passenger-side running board as the car was being driven on April 16, 2009, from the Lamda Chi Alpha fraternity house to the garage where it is stored.
“It is a tradition at Georgia Tech for students to drive through campus, waving, cheering and engaging other students during exciting school events,” the lawsuit said. The car has been rolled out for football games since 1961 and it also is available for rental for event appearances.
As is the tradition, on that day the car was carrying cheering students.
According to the lawsuit filing, as the Ramblin' Wreck turned left from Techwood Drive onto Ferst Drive at 10-15 mph, the railing Brown had grasped broke, throwing him to the asphalt.
Brown's head slammed onto a concrete curb and he had to be hospitalized for four days, according to the suit. The court filing did not describe specific injuries but said he continues to endure pain from his fall.
Brown declined to comment on the suit on Thursday.
The suit does not ask for specific damages, only what a jury decides.
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