UC Berkeley Senior, Weeks From Graduation, Paralyzed After Fall

Photo: LinkedIn (Left), GoFundMe (Right)

India-West News Desk

BERKELEY, CA – Bandna Bhatti, a 21-year-old UC Berkeley senior just weeks away from graduation, is facing a life-altering situation after a serious fall at the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house on April 19, Cal Day.

The fall has left her with a spinal fracture, a brain hematoma, and paralysis from the waist down.

Bhatti, a data science major, reportedly fell from an external stairway at the fraternity house which is on Piedmont Avenue here, around 1 p.m. According to family members, she was found about 15 minutes later. Initially unaware of the extent of her injuries, friends brought her back to her apartment. Emergency services were not contacted until nearly seven hours later.

Her mother, Sukh Bhatti, shared the family’s anguish in an interview with KTVU. “She cannot walk. She cannot move her body,” she said, her voice breaking as she recalled her daughter’s questions about graduation. “She asked, ‘Am I still going to graduate?’”

Bhatti was set to graduate on May 17. A GoFundMe campaign launched by her family has described her as a “brilliant, compassionate, and resilient young woman.” As of the morning of May 5, the fundraiser had received more than $90,000 in donations.