Cal Poly students sue drunk frat member, fraternity and others after Tesla crash

In the early evening of Jan. 8, two 19-year-old Cal Poly students, Lilianne Burke and Zoey Archibald, were walking near Crandall Way and Foothill Boulevard when a gray 2021 Tesla Model 3, allegedly driven by 20-year-old fraternity brother Ishan Pandhare, struck them at roughly 60 mph in a 25-mph zone. Both women suffered severe injuries, required surgery and remain under medical care. Police identified Pandhare, who was under the legal drinking age, and he was later arrested and charged with multiple felonies, including DUI causing injury and hit-and-run; he entered a not-guilty plea.

The victims filed a lawsuit on July 10 in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, suing Pandhare, the car’s owner Aidan Jameson Kennedy, fellow fraternity members Anna Grillo, Kip Stackle and others, as well as the Kappa Sigma chapter, alleging they supplied alcohol, facilitated the driver’s access to the vehicle, and fostered a hazardous drinking culture. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argue the case highlights systemic failures in campus alcohol oversight. The suit seeks damages for medical costs, pain and suffering and reserves the right to pursue punitive relief.