The Tragic Hazing Incident that Changed Danny Santulli's Life

Danny Santulli, a student at university of Missouri, was hospitalized due to alcohol poisoning on October 20, 2021, during an alleged hazing incident at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, also known as Fiji. In the aftermath of the incident, the Missouri University chapter of the fraternity was closed down.

Background

Danny and his sister, who hail from the suburbs of Minneapolis, both attended the University of Missouri. Danny was a freshman and was having a tough time during the recruitment process for the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, commonly known as Fiji.

He had recently been hospitalized after being instructed by an older member to climb inside a trash can filled with broken glass. His academic performance was not up to the mark, and he was also experiencing difficulty sleeping.

Santulli had also confided in his sister about the pressure he was under, which made him break down in tears. His parents also attempted to persuade him to withdraw from the pledge.

Despite the difficult circumstances, Santulli was not willing to give up because he did not want to face humiliation and mockery.

Two days after speaking with his sister, Danny was one of the freshman pledges who were taken, blindfolded and shirtless, to the basement of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house along with around 40 others. This occurred on Pledge Father Reveal Night, where the new recruits were to be assigned a mentor from among the older members - a pledge father.

The pledges were allegedly given bottles of hard liquor and instructed to consume them. There exists surveillance footage of the incident, which may help ascertain whether a crime was committed in Danny's case.

In the footage, Danny is seen standing in a crowded room while someone pours beer into a funnel that is connected to a tube leading into his mouth. Shortly after consuming the beer using the funnel, Danny loses his balance and falls to the ground, visibly inebriated.

The Incident That Changed Danny Santulli's Life

The incident occurred on the evening of October 19, 2021, At around 11:00 p.m., the incident was recorded on video, showing Santulli losing his balance and falling backwards.

Following this, members of the fraternity picked him up and moved him to another room, where he was placed on a sofa. He was force-fed beer through a tube and told to down an entire bottle of vodka by his 'fraternity fathers'.

At approximately 12:42 a.m., Santulli began to fall off the sofa, and it appeared that he was unresponsive. The fraternity members then took him to the nearby University Hospital.

Upon arrival at the hospital, medical personnel determined that Santulli was in cardiac arrest and was not breathing. Additionally, his blood-alcohol level was dangerously high at .486, six times the legal limit.

After spending six weeks at the hospital, he was transferred to a rehabilitation center in Colorado. Finally, after seven months, he was reunited with his family in Minnesota.

Where is Danny Now?

Currently, Danny is residing with his family in his hometown in the lives with his family in his hometown of Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Unfortunately, he sustained brain damage and is no longer able to walk, talk, or see. However, he has retained his hearing ability.

On January 27, 2022, on Santulli's 19th birthday, his parents filed a civil lawsuit against Phi Gamma Delta, its MU chapter's board of advisors, student leaders, and other fraternity members. The family's attorney, who specializes in hazing litigation, called Santulli's injuries the worst he had seen in 30 years of practice.

On May 10, 2022, it was reported that the family had reached settlements with the first 23 defendants named in the lawsuit.