Within seconds of Eric Dungey taking the final knee to seal Syracuse’s upset of No. 2 Clemson on Friday night, some of the 42,475 fans in attendance made the field a sea of orange. The Carrier Dome staff is equipped to handle such stormings with stairs provided for fans to carefully exit onto the field. But often it’s too little, too late.

Once the first fan rushes the field, more follow suit. That night, most fans jumped a steep 5 feet from the stands to access the field.

Six individuals sought medical attention at the Dome, said Pete Sala, vice president and chief facilities officer and Carrier Dome managing director. Two individuals were rushed to Upstate Medical University’s ER with a broken ankle and wrist, an Upstate spokesman said.

“It was pretty crazy,” field utility volunteer and junior Television-Radio-Film and Political Science dual major J.D. Killough said. “Police congregated around us when they started realizing fans may rush the field.”

About 30 minutes after the victory, Killough saw a man in his mid-to-late 20s sitting to the side on a bench, pants rolled up, leg exposed, swollen and seemingly broken. When Emergency Medical Service arrived to assist, Killough remembered the man was in shock and seemed not to realize the damage done to his leg.

One injured fan started a GoFundMe to offset medical bills after jumping a railing to rush the turf. On impact, the fundraising page detailed, someone pushed him from behind. The landing crushed his right ankle, displaced his right kneecap, broke both his legs and required two surgeries that included rods, plates and pins. The fan, the post read, will miss three to six months of work.

In three days, 70 people donated $3,653 of a $4,400 goal.

“Our chief priority is the safety and security of our student-athletes, the officials and our fans,” SU said in a statement. “Consistent with our Division 1 peers, we recognize we cannot always prevent fans from going onto the field. Jumping over rails inherently puts fans at risk, which is why our Fan Code of Conduct asks our fans to celebrate in a respectful and responsible fashion.”

Killough saw another woman, whom he estimated to be between 55-to-65 years-of-age, injured. In the midst of the mayhem, he said, she had held onto the railings as people stormed by until she flipped over the railing.

“People just weren’t paying attention,” Killough said. “Chaos is good, but you have to be a little more careful.”

Published on October 19, 2017 at 12:34 am

Contact Myelle: malansat@syr.edu