A falling goal post injured a student outside the Duke Chapel just before midnight Saturday in the midst of celebration following Duke's 20-14 victory over Northwestern in Evanston, Ill.
Duke University Police Department officials said the victim, sophomore Priya Patel, was responsive, stable and speaking as she was taken away on a stretcher.
An ambulance took Patel to Duke University Medical Center, where she received a CAT scan and was released approximately five hours after she arrived.
"Though I am concerned about the injured student and the inevitable dangers of tumbling goal posts, I understand the enthusiasm of our students following the hard-fought victory at Northwestern," Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs, wrote in an e-mail. "I don't anticipate any policy changes as a result. I do trust that this will be a rare occurrence, reserved for very special moments like when we win the game that will next secure our bowl bid."
Patel said the collapsing post temporarily knocked her unconscious and caused minor head trauma, but added that the pain had mostly subsided by the following day.
"People were cheering, and they tried to prop up the post," she said. "The next thing I remember is waking up on the ground.... When I woke up I remember my head was really hurting."
Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek wrote in an e-mail that she hopes students will find ways of avoiding injury when celebrating future wins.
"I love the fact that Duke students wanted to share in the team's victory last night-it was a great win," she said. "Carrying a goal post from Wallace Wade to the main quad, however, seems to carry with it some clear potential for injury. I hope students will think about other, safer ways to celebrate next week."
DUPD Major Michael Snellgrove said the officers present when the injury occurred tried to contain the student reaction.
"With the number of students who were here, it was bound to happen," he said. "A few people were drunk, and that's all you needed."
The sight of the fallen Patel hushed the rowdy crowd, prompting them to clear a circle around her and kneel in silence as she was approached within a minute by DUPD officers and emergency medical technicians, said sophomore Abby Tinsley, a friend of Patel who witnessed the injury and stood by her before she was taken away.
"A couple of people called out, 'Take a knee, take a knee,'" she said. "I was very impressed with everyone. With the exception of a few people making rude comments, the crowd was very respectful."
Patel said she found nothing wrong with students marching the goal post to the Chapel-until the mob thrust the metal posts into the air, endangering the students below.
"I don't think it was out of control, but I don't think they should have propped the goalpost up," she said. "I remember thinking to myself when they tried to prop it up, 'This is going to end badly.'"
The rush to tear down the uprights followed the Blue Devils' first victory in 23 games. Around 20 people stormed Wallace Wade Stadium immediately after the win, but a DUPD officer parked on the edge of the track asked students to stay off the field.
Students then rallied on the top level of the stadium, prompting hundreds of others who had assembled at the Wallace Wade parking lot to charge again at the goal post.
"The security guards kicked us off [once], and then we counted to 10 and rushed," said freshman Andrew Baroncelli.
The students took just more than a minute to bring the goal post down and immediately hoisted it out of the stadium.
Students carried the goal post between Cameron Indoor Stadium and Wilson Recreation Center and then followed a path around the east side of West Campus to Chapel Drive.
After pausing for a moment close to the West Campus bus stop, students tried to erect the goal post in front of the Chapel. Police tried to stop the attempt but could not before one of the posts fell on Patel, a student said.
Patel said she doesn't expect the injury to have long-term effects, and added that her head is already feeling significantly better than it did Saturday night.
"I'm okay," she said. "I'm doing normal things. The only thing is a little headache, but that's easily taken care of by a little Advil."
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