Student sues Purdue over Mackey stampede

A Purdue student is suing the university after a 2023 stampede at Mackey Arena reportedly left her injured.

Alanna Nash, a senior in mechanical engineering, said in court documents filed Friday that she is one of several who were injured when a crowd of "thousands of students" rushed Mackey in the hopes of getting a Golden Ticket.

As the Exponent previously reported, from the time the first attendees arrived outside Mackey on the morning of Feb. 5 2023, to the time of what students in the crowd called a stampede, no organizers from Purdue Athletics or officers from the Purdue Police Department were present to control the crowd and ensure the situation didn’t get out of hand.

Nash was reportedly left with a broken foot, which she says was the result of Purdue "failing to provide reasonable and adequate security, crowd control systems, and/or efforts to manage the crowd of people outside and entering Mackey Arena."

As of Monday afternoon, Purdue has not filed a response to Nash's accusations, according to court documents.

Nash did not respond to a request for comment, and Purdue spokesperson Tim Doty siad the university could not offer a response at this time.

Injuries from the stampede

On the day of the rush last year, several students were reported injured, with some describing the stampede as "survival of the fittest" and "armageddon."

There were reports of people pushing past each other, a twisted ankle and a student who was “about to faint,” Purdue police Capt. Song Kang said.

Two students got minor injuries, Associate Athletics Director Patrick Crawford said in a press release the night after the rush. One was transported to the hospital, and is in good condition, the release said.

“Safety remains the highest priority, and the athletics department is now proactively addressing increased demand and revising distribution procedures with the student body,” Crawford wrote. “Purdue Athletics is also exploring solutions to properly allocate student tickets for those who waited in line.”