Yale Restricts Tailgating After Death

Updated: Friday, 20 Jan 2012, 2:04 PM CST
Published : Friday, 20 Jan 2012, 2:04 PM CST

(NewsCore) - Yale University on Friday announced new restrictions on tailgating at home football games in response to the November death of a Massachusetts woman outside the Ivy League school's stadium.

Nancy Barry, 30, died Nov. 19 after being hit by a U-Haul truck before the Harvard-Yale football game as she and two friends were tailgating outside the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Conn.

After reviewing the school's tailgating policies and those of other universities, Yale president Richard C. Levin opted to implement stricter guidelines on the popular game-day festivities, including a ban on beer kegs and the use of "oversized vehicles" similar to the one that slammed into Barry.

Students and their guests also are no longer permitted to tailgate past kickoff and "will be required to leave the student tailgating area after the football game begins," read a statement from the university. The school also said, "those who do not elect to enter the stadium must leave the Bowl area."

New Haven police said Brandon Ross was making a turn near the entrance of a parking lot used for tailgating when the U-Haul he was driving accelerated for an unknown reason. The truck then struck the three women before crashing into two other box trucks parked in the lot.

Ross, who passed a sobriety test following the incident, issued a statement through his attorney saying "vehicle malfunction" appeared to cause of the crash. A U-Haul representative later dismissed the claim.

The crash is still under investigation. No charges have been filed.