The recent death of a UW-Eau Claire student may have some students and parents trying to deal with this tragedy.

A local psychologist we talked to says one of the best ways to deal with the grieving process is to talk to each other. Dr. Harlan Heinz says everyone grieves in their own way. He says an accident like this is a surprise for most students because they usually haven't dealt with death.

Students on campus say the school has been somber. They hope with spring break only a week away, other students will keep this accident in mind.

"I think it should, I hope it does because it's a serious situation," says Katie O’Connell.

The Eau Claire Police Department says Kyle Joswiak died of massive head trauma. They say his death was an accident. The department says Joswiak had been drinking before he fell over a safety rail at an off campus apartment.

Heinz says a situation like this is very hard on the people close to Kyle.

"This is not something people this age think about. They're thinking about their future, they're thinking about plans of going on with their life not life coming to and end especially at this age," says Heinz.

Dr. Heinz says for parents, losing a child is one of the hardest things they'll ever have to deal with.

"Especially for parents, who all of our hearts grieve for, but to give them support and make a connection with them will help because it will help them and the friends because friends want to help," says Heinz.

Dr. Heinz says this can be a lesson for more than just students on campus. That's a message
some on campus are already talking about.

"I think it will impact kids that knew Kyle and see what can happen with someone they're aquatinted with but for others where there is a layer of separation they might not notice the impact as profoundly," says Wilson Holzhaeuser.

We talked with friends of Kyle, they say they're holding up OK. They've been talking to a lot of Kyle's other friends. They also told us the funeral will be on Wednesday.

The University says counseling services are also available to any students who need someone to talk to.
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ORIGINAL STORY 3/18

A UW-Eau Claire student is being remembered for his sense of humor after falling to his death from an apartment.

22-year-old Kyle Joswiak was pronounced dead at 5:30 Wednesday night after falling from a second story walkway at an apartment on Niagara Street near campus early that morning. The medical examiner says his cause of death is massive head trauma and is was accidental.

The Eau Claire Police Department says Joswiak had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.257. That's more than three times the legal limit for driving. The university says he had been out celebrating for St. Patrick’s Day.

Officers say Joswiak either climbed onto the safety rail and fell or tried to jump over the rail to the parking lot. They say he was with a friend who lives in the building where it happened.

Kyle's roommates tell WEAU 13 News he was constantly making all of them laugh and that's what they'll miss the most. But, when it came to comedy, Kyle didn't stick to his friends, he took his humor campus wide, hosting his own game show on campus TV.

"I thought he was an interesting character when I first met him. I just fell in love with him. He was probably my best friend my second year and it's just grown ever since," says Josh Kohls, Kyle's roommate.

Josh met Kyle four years ago; a guy called “K-Jaws,” a guy who never failed to make him laugh.

He was a person who brought the spark into the room and you could go into the room and everyone would be laughing," Josh says.

Josh was with Kyle at the hospital Wednesday along with Kyle’s family from Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, a Twin Cities suburb. He says Kyle's mom was beyond strong—comforting all of her son’s friends.

"I went up and held his hand. That was really hard to know that he couldn't hold back. It just sucked," Josh says.

"At 4 a.m., I woke up and the police were outside," says Rachel Peltier who lives in the apartment building where Kyle fell. She didn't see or hear anything, but hates to think a tragedy happened so close to her home.

"It's just so sad. He's so young and it's innocent fun and you go out and you think nothings going to happen and all of a sudden... It's just really sad," Peltier says.

Thursday, as they talked about their friend, Kyle Joswiak, for the first time left his roommates struggling to laugh.

"It's going to be really, really hard from now on. For the year we have left and for the rest of my life, I’ll never forget him,” Josh says, tears in his eyes.

The university says Kyle’s family decided to donate his organs. His mom says they’ll help at least six people. She says Kyle was a full-time student with two jobs who also worked with cub scouts. Kyle was a UWEC senior majoring in journalism.