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Fall At Frat Event May Have Injured Student's Spleen

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 29, 2008

LAKELAND - A Florida Southern College student found dead in his apartment Saturday night might have suffered a fatal spleen injury while participating in a fraternity event at the college, Lakeland police said Monday.

Michael Szwed, 22, a communications major, had a "hard fall" during the event and "he became pale and sickly looking" afterward, witnesses told Lakeland police.

Szwed was found dead in the bathroom of his home at 410 E. Belmar St., where authorities were called about 10 p.m. Saturday by friends who found Szwed unresponsive.

His roommate and acquaintances said Szwed had participated in Bid Day on Saturday morning, when students interested in joining fraternities participate in functions on campus.

Szwed was a member of Sigma Chi.

Police said Szwed had been drinking late Friday night and continued early Saturday morning before heading to the fraternity event.

Szwed left Bid Day and made it home. A roommate checked on him at 11:30 a.m. and found Szwed in the bathroom, coughing and sounding like he was vomiting.

The roommate left and didn't return until about 10 a.m. Sunday, after authorities had been summoned.

An autopsy concluded that the cause of death was a lacerated spleen. Toxicology tests are pending. Foul play is not suspected.

Szwed's friend, Ashley Burke, said his death has devastated the Florida Southern Community.

"I mean what can you do as a college student?" she asked. "This is the first time a lot of us are experiencing something like this, so were all trying to get through it together."

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