• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Family of freshman left permanently blind and unable to speak or walk speak out on dangers of hazing

Home> Community> Life

Updated 08:22 19 Aug 2024 GMT+1Published 12:00 15 May 2024 GMT+1

Family of freshman left permanently blind and unable to speak or walk speak out on dangers of hazing

Daniel Santulli was left blind and unable to speak after the hazing incident in October 2021

Kit Roberts

Kit Roberts

Featured Image Credit: GMA

Topics: Alcohol, Education, News, US News, Hazing

Kit Roberts
Kit Roberts

Kit joined UNILAD in 2023 as a community journalist. They have previously worked for StokeonTrentLive, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Star.

Advert

Advert

Advert

The family of a college freshman who was almost killed in a hazing incident spoke out about the dangers of the practice.

Daniel Santulli was only 19 years old when he was found inside a car in cardiac arrest and with alcohol poisoning at University Hospital in October 2021.

Daniel survived the ordeal but was left blinded and unable to walk or speak as a result.

The incident was a result of 'hazing'.

Advert

This is an unofficial initiation ceremony for college fraternities and sororities which often consists of degrading, humiliating, and unsafe practices.

'Hazing' also frequently includes consuming dangerous quantities of alcohol.

Fifteen states in the US have made hazing a potential felony offence, but the practice still persists on many college campuses.

Daniel had been participating in a hazing at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity when he became seriously ill from alcohol poisoning after being pressured to consume an entire bottle of vodka.

Advert

Now, his family have spoken out about dangerous hazing can be.

Daniel's family spoke out about his ordeal. (ABC)
Daniel's family spoke out about his ordeal. (ABC)

Daniel's mom Mary Pat Santulli told ABC: "Danny was always a good kid. He was happy. He was."

His brother Nick recalled seeing Daniel in the hospital, saying: "I saw Danny in the medical ICU at the hospital at Mizzou. And it's just -- it's just a bunch of tubes everywhere.

Advert

"And that's an image that will probably never leave my head."

Surveillance footage was taken inside the fraternity house, with video taken shortly after 9pm on October 19 2021 showing several 'pledges' being taken downstairs blindfolded.

The family's attorney David Bianchi reviewed the events shown in the CCTV footage.

He told Good Morning America: "We see one of the fraternity members putting a tube in Danny's mouth with a funnel at the other end and pouring beer down his throat while Danny is in the middle of consuming an entire bottle of vodka.

Advert

That's on the video."

Daniel was left blind and unable to walk. (GMA)
Daniel was left blind and unable to walk. (GMA)

Bianchi added: "They were given their family bottle of alcohol and then they drank from it and they took them upstairs and for the next two hours, they drank and drink and drink."

His mom said: "He's still not talking or walking. He's in a wheelchair. He lost his vision. But he hears us, and he knows we're there.

Advert

"And we'll just keep fighting, and we're not gonna give up hope."

She told ABC: "Just the fact that they knew he was in distress and his lips were blue, and nobody called 911. It's, like, I don't know. I mean a 6-year-old calls 911."

When asked if he believes Daniel was hazed, his father said "oh 100 percent".

On May 10 2024 a former member of the fraternity pleaded guilty to misdemeanour on charges relating to Daniel's injuries.

Choose your content:

a day ago
3 days ago
4 days ago
  • a day ago

    Mom, 33, issues warning after noticing ‘mosquito bite’ that turned out to be much more sinister

    It's that time of year when mosquitoes are rife, and many of us also spend more time in the sun, so one mom is trying to raise awareness

    Community
  • a day ago

    Chilling past of man who won $167,300,000 lottery jackpot as he's arrested days after claiming prize

    James Shannon Farthing won a life-changing amount of money in April this year

    Community
  • 3 days ago

    7-Eleven employee, 24, who was left brain-dead after manager ‘sat on her’ has died

    Jessica McLaughlin died as her life support was switched off on Wednesday

    Community
  • 4 days ago

    YouTuber legally dies in order to get $50 refund from airline and explains how he did it

    He went through all the stress of 'dying' for the sake of getting back just 50 bucks

    Community
  • Chilling four-word text frat member sent when freshman was left blind and unable to speak or walk after getting hazed
  • Family of missing university student speak out after she disappeared while on spring break trip with friends
  • Student admits to hazing freshman leaving him permanently blind and unable to speak or walk
  • Family of tourist speak out following her death after she was trapped 1,968ft down active volcano for days