A University of Missouri student who suffered a severe brain injury following being forced to drink a bottle of vodka during an initiation party, is now blind and unable to walk or communicate, according to reports from the New York Post.
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On October 20, 2021, 19-year-old Daniel Santulli was found in a car parked at University Hospital, where his blood alcohol level was 0.486%, six times the legal limit for driving.
He was later revived and put on a ventilator following the incident at the Phi Gamma Delta house.
Lawyer representing the student’s family, David Bianchi, who had successfully sued Fraternity Fiji and 22 others, asked on Monday for the addition of a motion to include Samuel Gandhi and Alec Wetzler, the supposed organizer of the evening, in the agreement.
“When we created the lawsuit, we didn’t know who they were,” explains the lawyer.
Wetzler allegedly forced Santulli to drink excessive amounts of alcohol by putting a tube in his mouth and pouring beer into it.
As for Gandhi, he would have walked into the room where Santulli lay and would have seen that the latter had not moved since the last time.
“At 12:28 a.m., Daniel had slipped from the couch to the floor, but he no longer really had control over his limbs. He stayed like that until someone moved him to the couch. Her complexion was pale and her lips were blue, but no one called 911,” the petition reads.
Wetzler was charged with a misdemeanor for supplying alcohol to a minor and for possession of alcohol by a minor. His court date is July 5.
Since the incident, the Phi Gamma Delta has been suspended.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Daniel and the Santulli family during this difficult time,” Ron Caudill, the fellowship’s national executive director, told The Missourian in February.
