Woman who was hit in head by drone settles lawsuit with USC frat, event-planning company

A woman who suffered a head injury when she was hit by a drone has reached a settlement with a USC fraternity chapter and an event-planning company, which hired the operator of the drone to photograph attendees at a 2015 frat party.

Lawyers for Alina Pituch filed documents April 12 in Los Angeles Superior Court stating that her lawsuit against Pi Kappa Phi’s Delta Rho Chapter and the Perfect Event Inc. was resolved. No terms were divulged.

The defendants denied any wrongdoing.

USC was not a defendant in the suit, which was filed in September 2016 and alleged negligence and premises liability.

The suit stated that Pituch arrived about 11 p.m. Oct. 3, 2015, for a “Glow Party” that was being held in the backyard of the frat house.

Perfect Event was hired to produce the party and employed the operator of the drone, which was taking photographs of those present, according to the suit.

About 15 to 20 minutes after Pituch arrived, a “heavy object fell on (her) head, causing her to stumble forward into a friend, who caught (Putich) before she fell down,” the suit stated. Pituch’s “head immediately began to bleed vigorously from her wounds.”

The object was later identified as a drone, according to her complaint.

Pituch said she suffered injuries to the back of her head, forehead and left eye, and also felt dizzy and became disoriented after the blow.

Pituch’s friends assisted her in getting to the front curb of the frat house, and she was taken by ambulance to a hospital, according to court papers.

Pituch has permanent scarring on her head and forehead and has met with plastic surgeons to discuss her injuries, the suit stated. As a result of the injury, her ability to focus on schoolwork has been “compromised,” and she still experiences headaches that affect her concentration, according to the complaint.

carlos.lozano@latimes.com