A frat member sent a horrifying text after a hazing initiation went completely wrong, according to court documents.
Danny Santulli was likely excited to start his college life and make an entire rabble of new friends.
However, a hazing incident in 2021 saw his life dramatically change.
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In late 2021, the then-19-year-old was left blind, unable to speak and wheelchair-bound after an incident occurred at the University of Missouri.
On the night of 19 October, 2021, the freshman was discovered inside a car experiencing a cardiac arrest and with alcohol poisoning - his blood alcohol level nearly six times the legal limit.
While Santulli survived, he will now need life-long care and his family’s attorney has said the young man suffered ‘the worst fraternity hazing injury ever in the United States.’
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According to a New York Post report, at the time of the incident, Santulli was taking part in a ritual known as ‘pledge dad reveal night'.
Court documents revealed that fateful night Ryan Delanty was responsible for Santulli as his 'pledge dad' at the Phi Gamma Delta, or Fiji, frat house.
The documents also highlighted a four-worded text Delanty is said to have sent after Santulli's condition worsened following significant alcohol consumption.
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According to court documents, Delanty sent a text to his friend saying: “My son is dead."
The family’s attorney, David Bianchi, saw security footage of the event and said that Delanty handed Santulli a bottle of alcohol for him to drink through the night.
Speaking on Good Morning America, Bianchi said: “[In the videos] 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. That's on the video.
"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."
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Santulli’s family have also seen the security footage and insisted they hope to raise awareness so other families don't have to go through the same anguish they have.
On May 10, Delanty pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour of supplying liquor to a minor and a misdemeanour count of hazing.
On May 24, he began serving a six-month sentence at the Boone County jail.
Gerrard Kaonga