As a third-year Nursing student, Holly Roach has seen her fair share of blood and guts. But nothing prepared her for what she witnessed Saturday night at Scott Stadium.
Seconds after Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans took a knee on second down and let the clock wind down to 0:00, the Cavalier faithful did what they were supposed to do; they stormed the field to celebrate the victory.
From my view up in the press box, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Hundreds, if not thousands of fans joined the Virginia football team and coaches on the field to celebrate the victory in style. Students climbed on top of the field goal posts. High fives and hugs were dispensed in every direction.
At the bottom of the grassy area near the South end zone known as "the Hill," Roach saw less joy and celebration and more pain and horror.
The fence at the bottom of the slope had collapsed on the side nearest to the student section and between 30 and 40 people were caught in the area between the fence and the field. Fans of all ages were continuing to push and shove their way through the mess to get onto the field and trampled over these poor folks in the process.
These fans -- mostly students -- were literally stacked on top of each other, screaming in pain. One young man had purple fence marks all over his torso. His lips were turning blue due to lack of oxygen. Another student had his shin sliced open to the point where the bone was visible. It was all almost too much for Roach to take.
"I could not sleep on Saturday night because of the faces I saw that were crushed in the pile of people," Roach said. "The feeling of students screaming for help and pulling on my shirt to try and get me to come to their aid has not stopped haunting me. I can't imagine the emotions that those crushed must have experienced."
This was more than just a few fans with bumps and bruises. These people could have been much worse off.
"We are all extremely lucky that no lives were lost, and that all who were injured will recover," Roach said. "I would not have been surprised if anyone had been paralyzed after seeing the events unfold firsthand."
According to Monday's Cavalier Daily, 11 students were hurt enough to seek aid at the hospital for injuries that included a broken ankle, a puncture wound, lacerations and bruises. When you just read the statistics, it doesn't seem so bad. But once you listen to someone like Roach who actually saw what happened Saturday night, the incident becomes much more serious.
The 63,000+ fans at Saturday's game were the second-largest crowd in Scott Stadium history, and when there were no more seats in the student section, students packed the Hill. This has never been a problem before, but the amount of pushing and shoving that occurred toward the end of the game combined with the massive amounts of people on the slope proved to be a dangerous combination.
The fence at the bottom of the Hill was not enough to hold the pressure of these fans, and several students suffered because of it. Ideally, fans on the slope wouldn't be trying to shove their way through the crowd in order to get onto the field, but at the very least, the University has a responsibility to put up a barrier built to withstand that kind of pressure.
In an open letter to Virginia fans issued yesterday afternoon, Athletics Director Craig Littlepage implored fans not to rush the field in the future. He states, "When our fans overstep their role and attempt to enter the field of play, ensuring the safety of every player, coach, official, event staff representative, and fan is impossible."
The act of rushing the field, however, is not an inherently dangerous act. Hopping over the little brick wall onto the field from the stands is a low-risk move. I did it myself in 2002 when the Cavaliers closed out their home schedule by embarrassing then-No. 18 Maryland, 48-13. Making my way onto the gridiron via the student section was little trouble, and I had an enjoyable post-game celebration with my fellow Wahoos. There is no record of any students getting injured in that contest. A wave of Virginia students and fans swept onto the field after the Cavaliers beat Virginia Tech in 2003 as well without any fan casualties stemming from the rush.
Simply asking fans not to rush the field is not enough. It is an unwritten rule in college sports that after big wins fans have the right to storm the playing surface, and few if any of those in attendance take such an announcement seriously. The University must assume that such festivities will occur and needs to ensure that there is some sort of barrier at the bottom of the Hill comparable to that in the student section. It doesn't have to be a brick wall, but it should be sturdy enough to guarantee it won't collapse on students ever again.
There are plenty of other measures the University can take as well. Moving security or police officers into the crowd on the Hill before the conclusion of a big game could help control traffic. Finding those students who are pushing and shoving in the last few minutes of the game and moving them out of the area might make a difference, too. Maybe officials could consider resigning themselves to the fact that students are going to rush the field. While storming the playing surface shouldn't be encouraged, I don't see why security and police couldn't work to make sure it is done in a safe manner once it happens.
It is important that what happened on Saturday night on the Hill is recognized as a serious problem and steps are taken to avoid a repeat performance in the future. After all, Virginia fans might not have to wait much longer for their next opportunity to rush the field. There's another undefeated top-five team down in Blacksburg that will be paying the Cavaliers a visit in a few weeks.
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