One person dead after U-Haul truck crash at Yale tailgating area

Published 2:44 pm Saturday, November 19, 2011

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — One person was killed and two others were injured Saturday morning when they were run over by a U-Haul truck at a tailgating area outside the Yale Bowl.

A 30-year-old Massachusetts woman was killed in the accident, which occurred in Lot D before the start of the Yale-Harvard football game, police spokesman Officer David Hartman said.

Hartman said the driver of the U-Haul was turning off Central Avenue into a parking lot designated for pre-football game tailgating when it accelerated for an unknown reason and ran over three women. The truck continued forward and crashed into other U-Haul vans parked in the lot, Hartman said.

Paramedics performed CPR on the Massachusetts woman and took her to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 10:16 a.m.

Yale University, in a statement released Saturday afternoon, said that the victim is not a Yale University student and that she apparently is not affiliated with Harvard University, either.

Hartman said another woman, a student of the Yale University School of Management, was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital with injuries that include broken bones, is listed in serious but stable condition.

The third woman, who may be a New Haven resident, was taken to the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven with minor injuries, Hartman said.

The driver of the U-Haul that hit the woman was taken to the police department for questioning, Hartman said. According to the Yale Daily News, the driver of the truck is a Yale student and was heading toward the Sigma Phi Epsilon tailgate party in Lot D.

Garess Russell, who was walking near the lot and saw the accident, said he immediately knew it was serious.

“As I watched, I thought, ‘I recognize the history, I recognize the event’ from a friend who died in Ireland,” Russell said. “I recognized that panic. When you see such grief and such panic, it is truly awful and all you can do is to pray and hope for the people who are involved.”

A portion of the road, including the entrance to the lot, was cordoned off for several hours, creating traffic delays for people trying to get to the game.

Photos from witnesses at the scene showed several kegs of beer and alcoholic beverages inside the two parked U-Hauls. It was not clear whether the U-Haul involved in the accident also contained alcohol.

More than 5,000 parking spaces were sold for Yale’s storied game against rival Harvard University, according to a release from Yale. A crowd of more than 50,000 people was expected to attend the event, known simply as “The Game,” and began congregating in the tailgating area around 8:30 a.m.

A moment of silence was held at the start of halftime in memory of the victims.

“Yale extends our sympathies and prayers to the family of the woman who was killed and hopes for the speedy recovery of the two women hurt,” the university said in a statement. “Our thoughts are also with those who witnessed or were affected by this tragic accident.”

Officers from the New Haven and Yale police departments responded to the accident. Yale Athletics and the Yale College Dean’s Office will be undertaking a full review of the policies and regulations relating to tail-gating before athletics events.

“Our efforts now focus on providing any support needed to the members of our community and to our many guests from Cambridge and elsewhere,” the university said. “Yale Mental Health Services counselors have been alerted and are available 24 hours a day, and the Yale Chaplain’s Office is also available to provide counseling and support.”