Cheerleader’s injuries
likely accidentalTests also show no
"date rape" drugs
A New Jersey cheerleader who fell 80 feet to her death had injuries that suggest she fell rather than jumped or was pushed off of a hotel balcony, the Maui medical examiner said.
Tests also show that 18-year-old Lauren Crossan also did not have the “date rape” drugs Rohypnal or Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate (GHB) in her system, said Dr. Anthony Manoukian.
A final cause of death is awaiting more toxicology tests that are expected sometime next week.
But Manoukian said injuries on Crossan’s back and an investigation showed that the New Jersey teenager hit the side of the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa about 30 feet from the ground.
Had she been pushed or jumped from the ninth floor room, she probably would not have hit the building, Manoukian said.
“The fact that she struck the building as she fell is more consistent with a slip and a fall than a jump or being pushed,” he said.
Police have said there were no apparent signs of foul play, no signs of a struggle, and no evidence of sexual abuse or contact. The death is classified as an accident.
Earlier this week, Manoukian said that tests showed Crossan’s blood alcohol level was at 0.17, more than twice the legal limit for a driver in Hawaii.
Alcohol and jet lag may have contributed to her death, he said.
Crossan, of Randolph, N.J., died in the early morning hours of Jan. 12, just a few hours after her arrival on Maui to perform in the Hula Bowl college football game last Saturday.
The men whose balcony Crossan fell from were arrested in her death but later released without any charges being filed. Police said Crossan had gone to their room the night she arrived at the hotel.
The two men said they fell asleep and did not know what had happened to Crossan until police arrived to question them after Crossan’s nude body was discovered by another guest the next morning.