Carl Gieringer '03 was hospitalized early Saturday morning after he fell while attempting to steal a flag from the front of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house.
Gieringer -- who is a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity -- injured both legs, shattering one ankle and breaking his heel when he jumped from a slipping ladder at around 3:30 a.m. He subsequently made his way to Sudikoff Hall and contacted emergency medical services.
Safety and Security then transported him to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, where he reportedly underwent three hours of surgery on his ankle. Hospital officials said he was discharged Saturday, and Gieringer is now resting at Dick's House.
Students inside the SAE physical plant did not notice the attempted theft until Safety and Security advised them of it later Saturday morning, SAE member Patrick McCarthy '04 said.
"We found out when S and S returned our flag around 4:30 a.m.," McCarthy said.
SAE officials expressed uncertainty as to why Gieringer tried to remove the flag.
"Someone told me he wanted to pull a prank on another house before graduating," SAE president Thomas Hutchinson '04 told The Dartmouth, "but ... that may be entirely false."
Gieringer will reportedly be confined to a wheelchair for a month, potentially interfering with his ability to walk across the stage at commencement on June 8.
