The parents of a 19-year-old Clemson University student who died last year after falling from a highway bridge during a pre-dawn fraternity run sued the university, the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and three of its members for $50 million on Monday. Tucker Hipps' body was found by police last September beneath a highway bridge over a lake near the Clemson, South Carolina campus when he didn't return from the run with other fraternity pledges. The two civil suits, which seek $25 million each, allege that Hipps died as a result of a confrontation with a fraternity member over breakfast food he was told to bring that morning. Lawsuitl: Cynthia and Gary Hipps filed two $25M suits in South Carolina Monday, one against their son's fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon and three members and one against the school he attended when he died after falling off a highway bridge during a pre-dawn run with his fraternity brothers . Tragic: The two civil suits allege that Hipps died as a result of a confrontation with a fraternity member over breakfast food he was told to bring that morning . Hipps sent a text message that he didn't have enough money for the order of '30 McDonald's biscuits, 30 McDonald's hash browns and two gallons of chocolate milk,' but a fraternity brother confronted him on the bridge over the order, court records show. Hipps then went over the railing of the bridge into shallow water in Lake Hartwell head first, the lawsuits said, adding that a fraternity member shone a flashlight into the dark water below but took no further action to locate the student. Clemson University, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and the fraternity members could not be immediately reached for comment. It was not clear whether the defendants had retained attorneys. A spokeswoman for the university told the Greenville News that the school was aware of the legal action, but would not comment on pending litigation. The lawsuit suggests Hipp was pressured to jump off this bridge bridge into shallow waters of Lake Hartwell after he failed to follow a senior frat brother's orders . The son of U.S. Rep. John Carney, D-Del., is one of five defendants in two lawsuits seeking at least $50 million stemming from the death of a Clemson University fraternity pledge. In addition to Samuel Quillen Carney, the lawsuits name two other fraternity members, as well as the university and the fraternity. Defendant: Samuel Quillen Carney, the son of U.S. Rep. John Carney, D-Del., was named in the suit . 'No one - certainly no parent - can feel anything but sympathy for this family's grief and anger,' John Carney and his wife, Tracey Quillen Carney, said in a statement released by his office on Tuesday. 'We have faith that those trusted with investigative and legal authority will act based on facts.' 'Our advice to Sam since the tragedy in September has been to tell the truth and remember that any detail might help,' the statement said. 'That continues to be our message to him. The lawsuits, one brought by Hipps' estate and a wrongful death suit brought by his parents, say fraternity brothers ordered Hipps to bring biscuits, hash browns and 2 gallons of chocolate milk to the fraternity before the run but he said he didn't have enough money. One of the fraternity brothers confronted Hipps about not bringing the food, the suit said, later adding, 'Tucker went over the railing of the bridge into shallow waters of Lake Hartwell head first.' In addition to the $25 million in actual damages, the lawsuits seek unspecified punitive damages and ask for a jury trial. The other two fraternity members named as defendants are Thomas Carter King and Campbell T. Starr. Neither they nor Samuel Carney immediately responded to messages left in their campus email accounts seeking comment. Source: AP . Forced? The suits said the fraternity had a long tradition of 'requiring, pressuring, encouraging and forcing' pledge members to jump off bridges over the lake and swim to shore . Hazing? Hipps sent a text message that he didn't have enough money for the order of '30 McDonald's biscuits, 30 McDonald's hash browns and two gallons of chocolate milk,' but a fraternity brother confronted him on the bridge over the order, court records show . The suits said the fraternity had a long tradition of 'requiring, pressuring, encouraging and forcing' pledge members to jump off bridges over the lake and swim to shore. Hipps was not under the influence of any substances, according to a toxicology report. He died of blunt force trauma from a head-first fall onto rocks in shallow water, a coroner's report showed. The lawsuits contend his death was caused by the gross negligence and recklessness of the defendants, including two other fraternity members who had organized the run. Hipps' death sparked rampant speculation at the time by students on social media that hazing was involved, but police said a preliminary investigation did not indicate a role for hazing. The Oconee County Sheriff's Office said this month its case remained open. The university suspended all activities of its 24 fraternities shortly after Hipps' body was found. Hipps then went over the railing of the bridge into shallow water in Lake Hartwell head first, the lawsuits said, adding that a fraternity member shone a flashlight into the dark water below but took no further action to locate the student .
Cynthia and Gary Hipps filed two $25M suits in South Carolina Monday, one against Sigma Phi Epsilon and three members and one against the school . Samuel Quillen Carney, son of U.S. Rep. John Carney of Delaware, is one of the fraternity brothers named in the suit .