Penn State student Cory Wincek who fell from a balcony in March 2006 reached a settlement last week and avoided a trial in his negligence lawsuit against Keystone Real Estate Group Inc. and The Apartment Store Real Estate Group.

Wincek, 21, fell 16 feet to a concrete parking lot when a balcony at University Terrace Apartments, 924 Bellaire Ave., gave way at about 2:30 a.m. March 31, 2006.

The injuries paralyzed Wincek from the waist down; he suffered from a basal skull fracture and a subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Last July, Wincek sued the owners of University Terrace Apartments and Keystone Real Estate Group Inc. for negligence.

According to court documents, Wincek was seeking in excess of $50,000 to cover his medical costs, including a surgery in April to quell symptoms of quadriplegia.

According to the plaintiff's settlement documents, Wincek was intoxicated at the time of the fall, although there was no evidence to show that alcohol influenced Wincek's fall or his actions causing the fall.

An eyewitness testified that Wincek reached out to the balcony, and the balcony gave way upon contact, according to court documents.

The defendants had knowledge prior to Wincek's fall that the balcony was unstable, and on at least one occasion, inclement weather caused the balcony to collapse, according to the documents.

The terms of the settlement are being kept confidential.

Wincek was forced to withdraw from his spring semester because of the surgery, but he's back taking classes this summer, said Lionel Bassett, a member of the Knights of Columbus.

Wincek's father, Ron, is a member of the organization.

Shanin Specter, Wincek's attorney, declined to comment on the settlement.

The attorney for Keystone Real Estate Group Inc. Paul J. Walsh, could not be reached by press time.