Riley Strain’s Parents File Wrongful Death Lawsuit Over Nashville Drowning

The parents of Riley Strain have filed a wrongful death lawsuit over the death of their son, who died during a fraternity trip to Nashville after falling into the Cumberland River.

KYTV in Springfield, Mo., reports that Strain’s mother, Michelle Whiteid, his stepfather, Chris Whiteid, his father, Ryan Gilbert and his stepmother, Melissa Gilbert, joined together to file suit against the Delta Chi Fraternity at the University of Missouri.

The lawsuit names 30 individuals as defendants, and there are also two unnamed defendants.

According to the report, Strain's family members are seeking reasonable compensation for the injuries and pain he suffered before his death in March of 2024. They are also asking for compensation for the damages caused by his death, as well as medical, funeral, burial, and other monetary expenses that resulted from his death.

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The legal filing claims the fraternity was careless and negligent about its written policies in regard to Strain's death. The parents are demanding a jury trial.

Riley Strain was kicked out of Luke Bryan's downtown bar in Nashville on the night of March 8, 2024, after servers cut him off. Video footage showed him walking the wrong direction when he left the bar to go back to his hotel. Minutes later, he somehow fell into the Cumberland River and drowned.

A police investigation turned up that he had begun drinking on the bus ride from Missouri to Nashville and continued to drink heavily after arriving in Nashville, ordering drinks at several other bars before being ejected from Bryan's establishment.

In the end, he had 12 to 15 alcoholic beverages before he left Luke’s 32 Bridge on Broadway on the night of his death

• Strain's body was found downstream on March 22.
• His cause of death was drowning and ethanol intoxication.
• His blood alcohol level was .228.

Strain's parents had implied they thought something was off about his fraternity brothers even before the investigation was complete, saying they were not cooperating fully.

The investigation into Strain's death did not conclude that the fraternity had acted improperly, nor had any of the other establishments that served Strain, who did not appear visibly drunk.