Standing Around in Parking Lots: Bad Idea

Woman killed by truck before Yale-Harvard football game

(Reuters) - One woman died and two others were injured after the driver of a U-Haul truck plowed through a parking lot tailgating area ahead of the annual Yale-Harvard football matchup on Saturday, police said.

Drinking is an indoor sport.

A 30-year-old woman from Massachusetts was killed after the driver accelerated through a parking lot and ran over the three women before slamming into other parked trucks, said New Haven, Connecticut police spokesman Officer David Hartman.

The woman who died was not a Yale student or affiliate, according to a statement from the university, nor was she believed to be affiliated with Harvard.

The deadly accident happened near Yale University's stadium in New Haven, just hours before the noon kick-off for the 128th playing of the Yale-Harvard football rivalry, Hartman said.

Security around the game was tight and traffic patterns were well-established, he said.

"This is very organized," he said. "This was a tragic accident."

A second victim, a Yale School of Management student, was hospitalized in stable condition, the Yale statement said.

The third woman hit by the truck suffered minor injuries, according to police.

The operator of the truck was described as a young male and was being questioned by investigators, Hartman said.

Yale extended its sympathies to the victims and their families. It said college officials would review policies and regulations related to tailgating at athletic events.

Average attendance at the last six Harvard-Yale games played in New Haven was more than 53,000, according to the Yale University website.

Harvard won the game by a score of 45-7.

(Reporting by Lauren Keiper; Editing by Colleen Jenkins)