It almost sounds comical, like a scene from the “Animal House” movie. But it was tragic instead.
On Saturday a truck hauling beer kegs lost control during a tailgate party before the Yale-Harvard game in New Haven, Conn. One woman, a 30-year-old, was killed when the truck went into the crowd, according to The New York Times. In addition to the fatality, two people were injured and hospitalized.
Tailgaters outside of the Yale Bowl were parked on a field at about 10 a.m. when a U-Haul truck rented by the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, and driven by a student, accelerated, The Times reported. The truck hit a group of people and then struck a truck.
The fraternity’s truck had been stopped by security officers at a checkpoint, sources told The Times, but when the vehicle left it “accelerated uncontrollably.”
The fraternity said the truck’s driver hadn’t been drinking, and the national Sigma Phi Epsilon put out a statement on its website.
http://www.sigep.org/news/YaleTailgate.asp
“Sigma Phi Epsilon is deeply saddened by the tragic accident at today’s tailgate at Yale,” it said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families. The fraternity is currently working with law enforcement officials as they investigate the details of exactly what happened. We need to refer any additional questions to the New Haven Police Department.”
Yale expressed its condolences on its website.