Claverly Student In Stable Condition

The Lowell House sophomore who fell three stories from a Claverly Hall fire escape last Wednesday has emerged from a light coma and is currently in stable condition, according to hospital officials.

Theodore P. Klupinski III '95, who suffered a fractured skull, was in critical condition for several days and remained unconscious until Friday. He is currently under observation in the Beth Israel Hospital surgical intensive care unit.

"He is able to talk and seems to be doing quite well," said hospital spokesperson Karen S. Kutz. "He appears to have no deficiencies."

Klupinski, 19, had stepped onto his room's fire escape to watch comedian Billy Crystal receive an award on the steps of the Lampoon castle. The chemistry concentrator fell through a ladder hole and grazed the landing directly below before hitting his head on the sidewalk.

Four students--part of the crowd of nearly 250 that had gathered to watch Crystal--administered first aid to Klupinski immediately after he fell. Paramedics from the Cambridge Fire Department rushed him to the hospital, where he underwent three hours of neurosurgery.

Lowell House Master William H. Bossert, who visited Klupinski Saturday, said the sophomore is doing well.

"He's alert [and] speaking to people," Bossert said. "We talked about the Ohio State-Syracuse football game."

According to Kutz, doctors are amazed at Klupinski's rapid recovery.

"Everything is just really miraculous at this point," Kutz said.