Young medical student left brain dead after friend pushes him into lake

A young medical student has been left brain-dead after he was pushed into a lake by friends who knew he was not able to swim.

The incident occurred in mid-April at Lake D'Arbonne in Farmerville, Louisiana, where Christopher Gilbert was enjoying a day out with friends.

Christopher Gilbert struggled in the water for nearly 20 minutes. Christopher's family said that he was thrown off the dock and struggled in the water before being rescued. By the time he reached the hospital, his organs had started to fail.

"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'," said his mother Yolanda George, while talking to Daily Mail.

"Everyone knows he can't swim. He jokes about not being able to swim, even when we went to the restaurant the owner of the restaurant stated everybody knows Chris can't swim, he's been coming here for two years he's always joking about it."

The 26-year-old student is currently on life support, with his lungs functioning at only 20% capacity. He spent 72 hours on a ventilator.

He is unable to speak despite responding cognitively. Disturbing footage shows his friends urinating in the lake shortly after the incident, sparking outrage and calls for justice.

His mother said, “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. He got his masters last year in biological science. He’s preparing for medical school so for this to have happened to him … I was just devastated."

Christopher's family is demanding action from the police, seeking accountability for their son's tragic fate.

"In the legal field, we characterize things the way we see fit," said family lawyer Claudia Payne in a report.

"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."