Louisana Man Who Was Allegedly Pushed Into A Lake And Nearly Died Sets The Record Straight: ‘I Misjudged The Situation’
Christopher Gilbert is setting the record straight about the events that led to him being pushed into a lake and then being placed on life support for three weeks.
As Blavity reported, his family demanded answers when news reports about his water accident with his 22-year-old colleague Cassidy Holland came out. Many publications reported the near-death drowning allegedly left him in critical condition. Recently, he was released from Louisiana State University Medical Center. Now, he is breaking his silence and sharing what really happened on April 14.
“It has come to our attention that various news outlets and social media platforms have been disseminating information regarding the tragic accident involving Mr. Chris Gilbert, which has been rife with inaccuracies and unfounded allegations,” Gilbert’s attorney Aaron Lawrence said in a press release. “As legal counsel for Mr. Gilbert, we find it imperative to set the record straight.”
The Louisiana Tech University alum told his legal team he didn’t suffer severe injuries that Gilbert’s family attorney Claudia Payne shared with the media, such as him being “brain dead.” Also, according to the friends and bystanders on and near the dock at Rhett’s Tails and Shells restaurant in Farmerville, LA, he was underwater “between three and five minutes” versus the 10 minutes many media outlets reported at the time.
Payne also distributed private pictures of Gilbert while he was under medical supervision — something his attorney says perpetuated a race-baiting narrative.
“Furthermore, the release of private photos of Mr. Gilbert during his hospitalization and the ongoing assertion of a premeditated plan by his coworkers to cause him harm are wholly without merit and are considered by Mr. Gilbert and his current counsel to be both offensive and legally concerning,” Lawrence said.
“I kind of hate the…[claims about] me being brain-dead, or this attempting for it to be some sort of race issue,” Gilbert told The Post. “Who would want a doctor who has suffered brain damage?”
Gilbert is against Holland being arrested and charged for the incident because, saying he “misjudged the situation.”
“I took my keys, wallet, and phone out of my pockets and took my shoes off. I knew Cassidy wanted to push me in for messing with her, so I kind of played into it,” the 26-year-old aspiring doctor said to the New York Post in an exclusive interview.
“I thought maybe the water wouldn’t be as deep, and I would kind of hit the ground, get my footing and shoot up and come back up and grab the pier and just stand there,” Gilbert added. “And then the water ended up being deeper than we thought and being a lot colder than we thought.”
Furthermore, Gilbert says he doesn’t believe Holland had malicious intentions.
“I don’t think anyone did anything intentionally wrong,” he said.
Holland insisted in the same interview with The Post that she “would never try to hurt him.”
She added, “Chris is a beautiful person, my co-worker, and dear friend. . . . I’m so thrilled at his recovery and getting back to normal.”
A GoFundMe page was created to help cover Gilbert’s medical expenses, which could end up being around $300,000. So far, he’s raised over $28,000 of his $150,000 goal.
“I want to thank everyone for their support and their prayers,” he said.
