Student Who Couldn't Swim Now On Life Support After Friends 'Pushed Him into Lake to Drown'

A student who didn't know how to swim is now on life support following a tragic incident where his so-called friends allegedly "pushed him into a lake."

Christopher Gilbert, 26, was spending time at Lake D'Arbonne in Farmerville, Louisiana, on April 14, when the alleged incident occurred.

Initially, his friends claimed that Christopher had accidentally fallen into the water. However, during an investigation by the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office, one of the friends confessed to having "pushed" him.

Christopher struggled in the water for about 20 minutes as he tried desperately to reach safety.

Christopher Gilbert, 26, is an aspiring doctor. Fox8

About 10 minutes into his struggle, bystanders nearby heard the commotion and intervened to help.

Christopher, who dreams of becoming a doctor, was eventually rescued from the lake and urgently taken to a hospital.

His mother, Yolanda George, shared the harrowing details of his condition. She said her son was placed on a ventilator for 72 hours.

"I was devastated. I felt like my life had ended in that moment. My son is aspiring to be a medical doctor, my son is going to be a medical doctor," she expressed.

"He got his master's last year in biological science. He's preparing for medical school so for this to have happened to him … I was just devastated."

Fox8

Yolanda recounted that she received a frantic call from one of Christopher’s friends right after the incident. 

"She told me that Chris had fallen into the lake and he had been underwater for 20 minutes or so," Yolanda recounted to Fox8. 

"And I was like, 20 minutes? Why was he underwater for 20 minutes? And she was just crying hysterically and he was being airlifted to Shreveport.

"And initially when my son got there the doctor called us in and told me that at this time he was 'brain dead pretty much, and the rest of his organs were starting to fail'."

The group involved in the incident claimed it was merely 'horseplay,' but the family’s lawyer is seeking justice.

Fox8

"In the legal field, we characterize things the way we see fit," attorney Claudia Payne stated. 

"Of course, they are saying horseplay. We are saying that it was a criminal intentional push into the lake. 

"To add insult to injury, after pushing him, no one from the 'friend group' attempted to go in after him.

"Instead, two brave bystanders, who have no relationship to Chris, heard commotion and retrieved his body from the lake."

Yolanda's response was firm: "Everyone that's responsible, I want accountability."

Christopher is currently in hospital. Fox8

Thankfully, Christopher is now showing cognitive responses but still cannot speak and remains dependent on life support.

His lung function is currently reported to be at 20 percent capacity.