It was a beautiful Saturday morning with everyone excited for the Yale-Harvard football game taking place at Yale Bowl. CSC Event Staff security was posted at every gate to answer any questions and to make sure no prohibited individuals or vehicles were being brought into the parking lots.
Within the specific parking lot D, there was a group of U-Haul trucks parked with students tailgating. Most of the U-Hauls had kegs inside of them with students, friends, and family tailgating outside their U-Haul truck with tables set up and celebratory activities going on before the game. At this time, vehicles were still allowed to drive through the gate to make their way to a parking spot while tailgating festivities were occurring. However, tragedy instantly struck without anyone being aware of what was about to happen. I was participating in community service with the Connecticut Food Bank and witnessed this accident. Here is my story.
As I approached Lot D, I asked one of the CSC Event Staff to assist me with getting to lots A and B, and they pointed me in the direction of cutting through Lot D. As I entered the lot, there was a crowd of people tailgating with a U-Haul, which was attempting to make its way through the crowd. The vehicle was at a complete stop at this time waiting for the crowd to move. Suddenly, without warning, the truck slowly began to move, and then quickly accelerated into the crowd of people, running over three female tailgaters and then crashing into two parked U-Hauls approximately 25 feet away. Two of the female tailgaters were hit, while one was actually run over by the truck.
Yale University Police, New Haven Police, American Medical Response ambulances, and CSC Event Staff Security immediately responded to the area within seconds. They began setting up emergency triage, taped the crime scene off, and began CPR on the 30-year-old female, later identified as Nancy Barry of Salem, MA, in an attempt to resuscitate her. She was transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital with severe injuries and was pronounced dead at 10:16 a.m. The other two female victims, later identified as Elizabeth Dernbach, a Harvard employee, and Sarah Short, a Yale student were transported to the hospital where Dernbach was released Saturday and Short was hospitalized for leg injuries.
The driver of the U-Haul truck, later identified as Brendan Ross, a Yale University undergraduate student, passed a standard field sobriety test that was issued immediately to him by New Haven Police on scene once being taken out from the vehicle. Ross didn’t appear intoxicated but seemed traumatized with the look on his face. Ross was then taken to the New Haven Police Command Truck located next to Lot A where he was questioned for approximately one hour and then transported down to the New Haven Police Department for further investigation.
Ross is claiming that the U-Haul malfunctioned. The New Haven Police Department is further investigating into these allegations. Yale Athletics is also reviewing their tailgating policy for future tailgating events.
