Clemson University Mourns Deaths of Four Students in Five Weeks as College Junior Takes Fatal Fall off Cruise Ship
Clemson University students -- both past and present -- faculty, and staff are mourning yet again the loss of a fellow Clemson student.
Kendall Wernet, junior, of Asheville, North Carolina, became the fourth student death in the past month after he took a fatal fall off of a cruise ship earlier this week.
According to a report from USA Today, Wernet plummeted to his death on Monday morning after falling from the radar platform of a Carnival cruise ship, which had docked in south Florida. Wernet's death occured at the end of a brief voyage put together to reward young entrepreneurs.
Wernet was the second Clemson student to pass in the space of the past week and the fourth fatality over the past month or so. In the evenings following his death, students gathered at Clemson for vigils to mourn this loss.
Wernet had been on a three-day long "awards cruise" for Macomb, Michigan-based Student Painters, according to the owner of said company, Steve Acorn.
On the final night of the cruise a group of students climbed up on the platform of the ship, Acorn told reporters.
"They had a group up there the night before and thought it would be a good idea to go up there at about 5:00 a.m. to see the sun rise over Miami," he told USA Today. "They were up there talking and the radar system went on ... based on where you were standing, it caught Kendall and threw him down."
Clemson President James Clements made a statement on the string of deaths in a recent blog post, saying, "I ask that you continue to hold these very special young people and their families in your thoughts and prayers."
For the latest news & updates, follow reporter Bary Alyssa Johnson on Twitter: @MissBary
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