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Potentially Faulty U-Haul in Truck Accident at Yale Bowl

Posted on Nov 21, 2011

An annual football tradition between Yale and Harvard ended in a tragic truck accident during it's 128^th game between the Ivy League schools. The Yale-Harvard game features tailgating parties and rented U-Haul trucks to carry the party supplies to the field. Every year, both colleges try to figure out the best ways to regulate the tailgate area and keep students, fans, and alumni safe during the game. In recent years, banning U-Haul's has been considered; just as banning all alcohol from the game has been considered but not enforced.

Brendan Ross, an undergraduate at Yale, was driving a rented U-Haul truck with party supplies into the crowded parking lot when the vehicle apparently malfunctioned, according to the student's attorney and witnesses. Witnesses have reported they saw the U-Haul turn a corner and speed up. Ross passed a field sobriety test, and his fraternity brothers said he was not drinking before the accident happened. No charges have been filed, and the U-Haul will undergo forensic testing to determine if it was a defective truck. Ross has cooperated with police investigations.

The U-Haul hit three people before crashing into another row of U-Hauls in the parking lot. Yale student, Sarah Short, age 31, was hospitalized with leg injuries; Harvard employee Elizabeth Dernbach was treated for injuries and released on Saturday; and Nancy Barry, a 30 year old woman visiting Sarah Short, was hit and killed.

Yale provided mental health counselors to work with students and faculty who may need help with the situation, and the Dean's Office and Yale Athletic department intend to fully review their tailgating policies and regulations.

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