Truck strikes Yale-Harvard tailgaters, killing 1

New Haven, Conn. (WTNH) - Officials said a Yale student was driving a U-Haul truck at the Yale-Harvard game, when he plowed into three people, killing one of them.

"I mean you could see the path of destruction coming in," said Bill McNeff, of Albany.

"They were just kind of pinballing off, like one hit the other," said Dan McCarthy, of Tolland.

"We just thought it was a bad accident, and then you see all of the people laying on the ground and it was horrible," one witness said.

Police said the U-Haul, which was loaded with beer kegs, accelerated out of control in the Yale parking lot, plowing into a crowd of tailgaters.

It happened around 9:30 Saturday morning, just hours before the kick-off of the Yale-Harvard football game.

"You look left and you see a girl on the ground, just you know out," said McNeff, "and they hadn't even started doing CPR yet, she was just out there and there was another guy on the ground, he was moving though, and there was another person."

Ambulances started lining up to take the injured to the hospital. Police say one woman, a 30-year-old from Massachusetts, died on the scene. A second woman, a Yale student, was loaded into the back of an ambulance and taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital in critical condition, suffering broken legs and arms and internal injuries. A third woman, a Harvard student, was taken to the Hospital of St. Raphaels with non life-threatening injuries.

Police have taken the driver, only identifyed as a Yale student, into custody.

It is not yet clear if he will be arrested, as police are still in the early stages of the investigation. They are looking at everything from speed, to mechanical failure, to alcohol, as they try to figure out what went wrong.

"You look up and you see the U-Haul sliding into another U-Haul who slides into another U-Haul and everyone scatters," said McNeff.

At halftime the announcement came over the loud speakers about the tragic death and everyone was asked to bow their heads for a moment of silence.

A few shared with News 8 what they thought about during that moment of silence.

"Just how awful, tragic...it's just an awful tragedy," said Keith Linscott, of Massachusetts.

"The whole fragile part of life," said McCarthy, "in thirty seconds, you're here, you're gone. It's very upsetting."

The police still had the area blocked off Saturday evening. One witness said the van was traveling as fast as 35 miles-per-hour through the parking lot. Police say it is still early in the investigation.