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Clemson student dies in cruise ship fall

Kendall Wernet was on an awards cruise when he was struck by a radar propeller and fell to his death.

By Gabrielle Levy
Kendall Wernet. (Facebook)
Kendall Wernet. (Facebook)

MIAMI, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A Clemson University student died Monday after he was struck by a cruise ship radar propeller and fell to his death.

Kendall Wernet, 20, was participating in a three-day awards cruise for young entrepreneurs who had participated in a summer program run by the Macomb, Mich.,-based Student Painters.

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As the ship, the Carnival Ecstasy, was returning to port around 5 a.m., a group of five or six students climbed the forward mast to watch the sunrise.

"They were up there talking... and the radar system went on," said Student Painters owner Steve Acorn. "Based on where you were standing, it caught Kendall and threw him down."

Miami-Dade County police said Wernet fell about 20 feet and struck the deck below.

"He was initially treated by the ship's medical team and later transferred a local trauma center in Miami," a statement from Carnival Cruise Corp. said. "Unfortunately, he has passed away."

Carnival said the mast area was restricted, and Miami police said they found no evidence of foul play and said drinking was not involved.

"This was a group of elite college kids who choose to work 80 hours a week" through the summer program, Acorn said, adding that Wernet had also participated in last year's program.

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"He was a huge part of our success," Acorn said. "Kendall was one of those kids that if you had a daughter you'd want her to find Kendall."

Wernet's death is the second to strike the Clemson community this month. Tucker Hipps, 19, drowned last Monday when he fell off a bridge near campus during a fraternity run.

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