Ex-UC Berkeley student dies 7 years after catastrophic drug overdose

Madelyn Bennett shares a moment with her son John Gibson in their front yard at their home in San Diego on Friday March 11, 2011. Gibson suffered a heart attack while at UC Berkeley after ingesting illicit drugs and is now in a minimally conscious state. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker) less Madelyn Bennett shares a moment with her son John Gibson in their front yard at their home in San Diego on Friday March 11, 2011. Gibson suffered a heart attack while at UC Berkeley after ingesting illicit ... more Photo: Sandy Huffaker, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Sandy Huffaker, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Ex-UC Berkeley student dies 7 years after catastrophic drug overdose 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

A UC Berkeley junior who suffered irreversible brain damage in 2010 when housemates at his university residence waited two hours to call 911 after he’d overdosed, has died.

His mother, Madelyn Bennett, confirmed that John Gibson, 28, died Sunday in a San Diego hospice seven years after his tragedy — and Bennett’s lawsuit — set in motion changes to UC Berkeley’s emergency reporting policies and the transformation of a beloved, historic student residence called Cloyne Court.

Gibson’s story exposed safety weaknesses in the co-op residences, which the university leases to the nonprofit Berkeley Student Cooperative, and a culture of drug use at Cloyne that nearly cost the housing system its insurance coverage.

Bennett, who sued the Berkeley Student Cooperative, settled in 2014 for an amount just under $1 million that quickly went for Gibson’s extensive medical needs. The suit also demanded that Cloyne transform from an artsy, drug-tolerant community into a substance-free residence.

Students opposed to the change draped “Save Cloyne” banners on the rambling brown-shingled home at 2600 Ridge Road, which architect John Galen Howard built in 1904 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Some also vilified Bennett on Facebook. One student sent her an expletive-laced message saying: “You personally have ruined the lifes (sic) of 150 people.”

Bennett reported the attacks to UC Berkeley, saying: “It’s not that I object to getting hate mail. It’s that I object to getting hate mail with incorrect spelling from students at UC Berkeley, where I expect a higher class of hate mail.”

Gibson’s overdose exposed a dangerous history at Cloyne. A Chronicle review of police records revealed 13 reports of grand theft, eight burglaries, three fights and five “injuries or illnesses” in the five years before Gibson’s tragedy. In 2006 alone, Cloyne saw three rapes, a sexual battery, 16 students hospitalized after eating pot brownies, two drug arrests and the death of a former Cloyne resident, Fre Hindeya, 26.

Gibson was a charismatic 21-year-old who grew up in San Diego, the son of a news reporter and a computer engineer. Court papers show that on March 18, 2010, a housemate at Cloyne noticed at about 9 a.m. that Gibson appeared to be having a bad dream. By 11 a.m., he noticed that Gibson’s lips had turned blue and that he wasn’t breathing. Two Cloyne residents tried to perform CPR on Gibson before moving him into another room. They called 911 at 1 p.m.

Gibson had taken drugs, which caused a heart attack, court papers said, but he was deprived of oxygen and suffered a brain injury because of the delay in getting help.

Gibson was moved to his parents’ house in San Diego, where his mouth remained frozen in an oval, and his body clenched. He never walked or spoke again. Tubes kept him alive. His ability to think was unknown.

But even Gibson’s overdose didn’t immediately change things at Cloyne. Four months later, another man overdosed at Cloyne. His fate has not been made public. In 2013 and 2014, paramedics visited Cloyne three times for drugs or alcohol. Each time, students landed in the hospital.

In 2014, after an emotional, all-night session, the housing co-op voted to evict nearly all Cloyne residents and turn Cloyne into a substance-free, academic-themed house.

Bennett said at the time, “This vote will prevent other families from going through this. Nobody wants to lose a kid that they love.”

In 2016, UC Berkeley adopted a “Responsible Bystander Policy” declaring that students who report drug or alcohol emergencies would not be disciplined.

“We have improved our training for all managers in the (Berkeley Student Cooperative) since that time, and we are currently recognized as one of the safest organized housing providers on campus,” said Zach Gamlieli, student leader and president of the nonprofit.

Bennett said that Gibson’s friends and family were with him when he died.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov