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News
Monday, September 19, 2005
Westport Student’s Death Ruled Accidental
The chief medical examiner’s office ruled today that a fall from a dormority balcony that killed a 20-year-old Westport student at Quinnipiac University was an accident.
Ricardo Petrillo died from head and chest injuries in the fall from the third-floor balcony early Sunday morning, the medical examiner’s office said.
Authorities said tests showed Petrillo was intoxicated, according to televised news reports. He was treated at the scene and brought to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he later died, police said.
University officials said the sophomore political science major lived in the dorm with the balcony from which he fell.
In a statement, the university said it has worked hard to educate students “about the importance of making safe and healthy decisions about alcohol.”
The university requires freshmen to complete an online alcohol education program before moving onto campus and offers other alcohol education programs, the school said.
The university later announced that calling hours for Petrillo will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Harding Funeral Home, 210 Post Road East, Westport. No funeral services are scheduled, according to a funeral home spokesman.
Meanwhile, Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) announced that it plans to establish a scholarship in memory of Petrillo.
James J. Stewart of Upper Grandview, N.Y., educator and member of TKE, said the fraternity will establish the scholarship through the TKE Educational Foundation.
“Rico was a man known for his distinguishable smile and uncontrollable enthusiasm,” said Stewart, a senior entrepreneurship major in the School of Business.
“He was a leader who made fraternal activities a priority and he was determined to help others without question.
“He participated in all of our philanthropic activities and he was thankful for everything in his life, as we are all grateful to have been part of his. As our fraternity mourns, we are guided by the hopes and prayers of the whole Quinnipiac University community.”
Comments: Comment Policy
This tragic event should emphasize the need for Westport to enact a version of the alcohol ordinance. This is mandatory to protect our children and young adults. To do otherwise we will be abdicating our responsibilty to their well being. My sympathy to his family on their loss.
A. Beasley, M.D.
It is disappointing that advocates of the misguided drinking ordinance, aimed at behavior in private homes, are already exploiting a local family’s tragedy in order to advance their social cause.
Didn’t they also recently do so when it pertained to an accident involving a Westport minor, even though there was no suggestion in that case that the young person consumed alcohol?
I hope the members of RTM, as well as our local residents, keep in mind these tactics when they weigh the relevance of such comments.
Quinnipiac University has a “zero tolerance” policy for students under the age of 21. Per that policy:
“Members of the Quinnipiac community or guests who are under the age of 21 may
not distribute, transport, serve, possess or consume alcoholic beverages anywhere on
campus.”
Unfortunately, that policy did nothing to prevent this tragedy.
Let us not make the situation worse by passing an ordinance that will encourage drinking and driving and will put a wedge between Westport Police and our young people. And let’s not play politics with a tragedy faced by one of our neighbors.
Sincerely,
Chris Grimm
RTM District 5
My sincere condolences to the Petrillo family on the loss of their son. I still can’t believe that this tragedy occured.
Thank you Mr. Grimm for that last comment. I am horrified that anyone would attempt to take advantage of this emotional time to push a political agenda. As a college student and graduate of Staples, I can say from first hand experience that any such ordinance would do nothing but ruin more lives and worsen the problem. I can also assure you that Ricardo would have been very much against this and I hope it will not be mentioned with his name in the future.
There are lessons to be learned here but we must react as rational adults, not reactionaries blinded by emotion.
I wholeheartedly agree, Chris. Fight the good fight.
The good fight, huh? While it is important to remember Ricardo and honor his family (I was a close classmate of Ricardo’s, I was in MANY classes with him, graduated with him, and knew him well) I think we would be remiss not to consider what might be done to possibly prevent these types of tragedies from occurring. Mr. Grimm, if only you weren’t so biased I might not quarrel with your comments. But how is what you are doing any different from those who take the opposite point of view? You criticize those who are saying they might want to learn from my friend’s death, yet with your comments you are also taking advantage of this terrible event to push your own agenda and advance YOUR social cause. I knew Ricardo well, so I have been personally affected by his death. Yet even I have already begun to wonder “how can we prevent this from happening again?” I am not exploiting his family’s tragedy, I am trying to find something positive in it. If there is something small that we can do to even possibly avoid such situations, shouldn’t we at least try it? Someone made the comment that the ordinace isn’t what Ricardo would have wanted. What I believe is that Ricardo would have done anything to change decisions he made on Saturday night. Couldn’t the ordinance help some youngsters make these types of decisions?
Justin, the point is there was already an ordinance (QPac’s rule about drinking) in place that failed to help Ricardo. Yet another addressing the same situation won’t help and could, given its structure, actually hurt the situation.
Despite being raised well and being good and intelligent, people make decisions that can have tragic results. That’s just part of life and cannot be legislated away.
Nice to hear how someone is trying to do something POSITIVE to memorialize this young man’s death ... sadly, the consistent obfuscation by Chris Grimm and the others who want to do NOTHING (what ARE your ideas?) to give our community another tool to deal with underage drinking, exemplify the apparent ignorance of never having to deal with the real-life experience of helping a young person navigate through the maturation process.
While it’s easy to dismiss this tragic accident as just another statistic, Justin, you have helped give us a powerful perspective on the need to do EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to help prevent a sad replay of this unfortunate loss of such a promising young man. Our prayers and thoughts reach to his family during this time of loss and grief.
While we cannot go back and change the horrific events of Ricardo’s death let us keep in mind what a caring wonderful young man he was and remember to be a friend first- I agree if Ricardo was still here I cannot imagine but he would try to make a better choice but let his friends continue to be his friends and watch out for each other. While changing regulations is lovely on paper the reality is that we each have to do our best to help ourselves and our friends make the best choices. To Ricardo’s friends -continue to act as friends to each other and talk to each other, help each other make good choices and be real friends. Maybe had that been possible Saturday night one of his friends could have helped him come back inside instead of making a foolish and fatal mistake. Remember that we are all here and are all each other’s family and only we can personally help each other with our words, actions and love. Ricardo will be sincerely missed and I believe that if only one person has learned to step back from this incident then we can go on and keep loving Ricardo in our hearts.
Justin - While I think your ultimate question is completely fair, I strongly disagree with your conclusion.
“Zero Tolerance” policies teach nothing and fail to acknowledge realistic human behavior.
By way of example, advocates of the ordinance - from the WYC to the Connecticut Coalition to (at the top) the R.W. Johnson Foundation, which is the money behind these efforts in Connecticut and other states, oppose “safe rides” programs. Safe rides programs (no questions asked safe transportation home for teens who have been drinking) ABSOLUTELY save lives. (Every policeman I’ve asked in Westport supports Safe Rides, btw.) But these groups oppose safe rides programs because they believe that they facilitate drinking. This logic is akin to saying that sex education promotes promiscuity - it is fatuous logic that, ultimately, harms more lives than it helps. Alas, that logic is the foundation for the whole movement behind the proposed ordinance.
I had absolutely no interest in exploiting the news report of this family’s tragedy in order to advance a political agenda. But I was compelled to respond to Dr. Beasley’s comment that reflected nothing less than moral blackmail to advance a cause. Advocates of the ordinance also did so following the recent critical automobile accident involving a Westport teen, even when that accident didn’t involve alcohol. They don’t promote a logical look at an important issue, they promote fear and knee-jerk responses to tragedy.
Kudos - At least I have the courage to put my name to my comments. You want to do “EVERYTHING POSSIBLE.” (Your CAPS) What does that mean? Prohibition? No exception with parental permission on private property?. Maybe that’s why you are afraid to identify yourself?
Put your name on your comments and I’ll be a little more interested in your opinion. If you are so confident in your moralizing attitude, show a just a tiny amount of courage and sign your name.
Ah, the disingenuous diverson continues ... Chris, your continuing pedantic rhetoric continues to offer no serious dialogue about the underlying issue of attempting to curb underage drinking. As long as you insist on insinuating some implied constitutional challenge (where? when?), the assumed ineffectiveness of the proposed drinking ordinance and offering nothing constructive to the process, it is hoped that more reasonable and responsible members of the RTM will move the drinking ordinance forward and help us memorialize Ricardo’s life and passing as an additional impetus to make positive changes for the youth of our town as many other Connecticut cities and towns have already done.
COURAGE!!
“Maybe had that been possible Saturday night one of his friends could have helped him come back inside instead of making a foolish and fatal mistake. Remember that we are all here and are all each other’s family and only we can personally help each other with our words, actions and love. “
that comment bothered me Paula, it sounds like you are taking a freak accident and trying to place the blame on his friends. We dont know ALL the details. We do not know if his friends were with him, or they weren’t. We do not know if they were by his side or sitting in the hospital all night praying for him.
I do not believe creating a law or rule would do anything other then more harm. What parents and schools need to do is educate their children as much as they can, and not just with some book and some test. You wouldnt want to have a sex ed class where they only talk about abstinance in hopes it would encourage the students not to have sex. You would prefer a sex ed class that actually educated your kids about protection, diseases, babies, etc. That way they can make their own decision instead of having some stranger or political figure make it for them. Hopefully they will make smart decisions and act safely if they decide to engage in activities.
Do not sit there and think some kind of law or restriction will stop kids from doing stupid things, it will just cause them look for worse ways to get around them ( ie drunk driving).
Ricard was a very selfless person, and I am sure that given the chance to redo that whole night he definately would. But, we cant go back, instead we can offer our condolences and look forward. I know that Ricard would be against some sort of restriction, instead I believe he would want his tragedy to be used as a lesson where parents can use it to educate their own children in some sort of discussion.
I just graduated from college, and all 4 years like clockwork, there were ambulances on campus every weekend in the beginning of the school year due to some freshman drinking too much because drinking or alcohol was a new experience for them. Parents should NOT avoid important topics.
It is sad to say, freak accidents will always occur, we are all individuals, and depsite our backround or our education we do make our own choices. However, it is my belief that if we educate our peers and children on topics, we can reduce amount of accidents that can and will occur.
Ricardo was one of my good friends. I think that this whole discussion is not what anyone needs right now. Right now, Ricardo would just want us all to not fight. He always said that fights and grudges just were not worth it.
While I believe that everyone has made excellent points, I think the subject is still tender. We all miss him terribly. Everything that is being said is being said out of hurt and anger. All these comments will not bring him back.
I do not think that QU is at fault for this because no matter how many ordinances they put up, or if they didn’t put up any, teenage drinking is going to happen. Kids will always find alcohol. Kids needs to just drink responsibly. The only people at fault are the ones that drink irresponsibly.
I’m not blaming rico, although I’m angered and hurt by what happened, he made a mistake and is paying for it with his life.
I think something good needs to come out of this tragedy because he’d want it. Ricardo was very selfless. He always advocated helping others out. Let’s just pray to get through this hard time.
I know I am.
CT - those are touching and sensible comments. Many people can learn a lot from what you offer to the conversation. Thank you for bringing the attention back to what should be the focus - the tragic and untimely loss of this young man.
And to ‘Kudos’ - Seeing the word “Courage” used by someone who is too ashamed of his own inflamatory rhetoric to sign his own name would be laughable if this wasn’t such a horrible situation. Why don’t you stop exploiting this terrible tragedy until you have the courage to at least identify yourself (Dr. Beasley, to his credit, did so). You are happy to embarass those associated with your cause, with your nonsense, but show absolutely no courage in doing so. Shame.
CT- please excuse me- I was not in any way attempting to place blame on anyone there or not there- just having watched Ricardo grow up and knowing how much importance he placed upon people helping people- I was just trying to encourage us all to learn and keep aware of our friends and foolish choices they might make and how important our own voices and caring are. The Ricardo I remember would have been one of the first had he been watching someone do something stupid to try to suggest another activity but you are correct in saying none of us honestly knows all the facts and I really had no intention of anything more than supporting the Petrillo’s and all Ricardo’s friends in missing this wonderful young man who we all lost far too soon.
I look at his picture and remember the crazy little pirate running round like a nut with my own children and friends children in backyards too many years ago. I remember the karate chopping maniac so proud of his new karate belt. I am very deeply saddened and agonize for his family.
Please accept my apologies for the misstatements on my part.
I am traveling out of the country and am catching up on Westport and I am just horrified reading these comments. I have two children in college as well as a niece and a nephew in college. If something happened to one of them like what happened to Ricardo, I would be too upset to do anything—never mind to care about ordinances. Let his family and friends have their peace and good memories of Ricardo please. My sincere condolences to his family and friends. Each one of us has to do what he or she feels best to do under the circumstances, but regardless please let’s support his family and friends in their time of need.
Charlie Haberstroh
Board of Finance
To: The Op-Ed Pages of WestportNow.com
From: Lee Flemming - 201 314 7260 -
84 FAIRLAWN STREET
HO-HO-KUS, NEW JERSEY
No More Looking the Other Way
The tragic death of Ricardo Petrillo last weekend once again highlights an insidious and expanding problem at this University. Added to last winter’s tragedy in the Adirondacks, the shower cam scandal and other lower profile and under-reported incidents including under age alcohol use and trafficking, this most recent horrible event has to leave students and parents stunned by the lack of discipline here.
College students will be college students but why does this institution suffer such abnormal difficulties and losses?
Is it the odd (if not cozy) relationship between the resident assistants, Residential Life’s hierarchy and its too powerful and insulated domain?
Are the students watching the students most of the time? Check out whom the “shower-vert” worked for.
Why is Residential Life so loosely run? What are its management’s credentials? What did they do before becoming Quinnipiac employees? Are the newest additions to this staff really an upgrade from previous housing oversight..."professionals"?
Why is there such inconsistency in the application of discipline and sanctions? Does monetary influence dictate who goes or stays? Such findings would add great understanding to this profoundly serious malaise.
Do energetic efforts to maintain and now restore the declining image of the school detract from other deeper, structural needs? Continuing to ignore the substance abuse problems at Quinnipiac will only assure continued turmoil and heartbreak?
Ask the keepers of the statistics (assuming they are kept) for the real facts and statistics related to drug and alcohol incidents—then publish them! Existing and prospective students and parents simply must know this information before they commit anything to the Q experience.
It’s time for accountability and a top to bottom housecleaning of the dysfunctional Quinnipiac Residential “Life” bureaucracy. Ask anyone, especially the Hamden Police Department. Their problems can no longer be swept away. The tragic proof of that lies in last weekend’s awful event.
Lee Flemming
Former Quinnipiac Parent
I think all of you people are outrageous. You need to stop thinking that you can do something to stop teenage/college drinking. I knew Ricardo well, but even if you didn’t, it doesn’t change the fact that you are all so insensitive. You all need to listen to Cristina and know that teenage drinking will never stop. I’m sure you all did it when you were younger too. I’m a freshman at college now and there’s no big scandal at college about resident life and all that stuff. No matter what the rules are, if kids want to drink, they will. What you all need to do is suck it up and talk to your kids about it. My parents were always very open about drinking and never just pretended it wasnt a problem and I have been responsibly exposed to it. That is the only way to reach your children. I graduated from Staples last year and there are a lot more serious things to worry about than some stupid drinking ordinance. Ricardo’s death was a horribly tragedy, but there is no need to be manipulative and selfish to push your own agenda. I am not saying there should or shouldn’t be an ordinance, I could really care less, I’m just saying either way, you need to educate your children properly because college is a lot different than high school and if you send them off without preparing them, more tragedies like this will happen.
Rest in Peace Ricardo, you will always be in our hearts.
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