A University of Maryland foreign exchange student is hospitalized and unconscious after a Sept. 21 incident inside a College Park restaurant where friends and family say he fell down a flight of stairs.

George Thomas, 26, of India sustained a severe skull fracture after the fall at Cornerstone Grill and Loft, has left him unconscious and in an intensive care unit on life support, according to family members.

Cpl. Clinton Copeland, a Prince George’s County police spokesman, said the county’s fire/EMS department responded to the bar in the 7300 block of Baltimore Avenue around 1:11 a.m. for a report that a man fell down and was unconscious.

“His condition still remains very unstable. I’m hoping that it will improve, but as days go by, it’s not looking good. I’m hoping and praying that’s it’s going to change,” said Jacob Thomas, 31, George Thomas’ brother, noting that his brother has been in a coma since being admitted to a hospital.

He said George Thomas has internal brain injuries and said there has been excessive bleeding and hemorrhaging.

George Thomas arrived at UM in September for a four-month exchange program and was scheduled to return to India in December, Jacob Thomas said.

djgross@gazette.net