Bank forgives debt 8 years after N.J. student’s fatal fall

Eight years ago, 24-year-old Christopher Bryski fell from a tree, leaving him in a vegetative state. He died two years later, but his student loan debt didn’t.

The Burlington County Times reports Bryski’s family, of Evesham, N.J., has finally won its fight with Key Bank in Cleveland to forgive the debt.
The family credits a Change.org petition with 80,000 signatures for pressuring the bank to forgive the debt, which it pursue because Bryski’s father co-signed the loans. But legislation aims to help keep other families from experiencing the same problem.

The Christopher Bryski Student Loan Protection Act was drafted in 2010, but hasn’t yet passed. It would require lenders to make it easier for borrowers and co-signers to understand the terms of loans and provide borrowers with information about power of attorney.