First published on 
By Oscar Francis
The mother of a student killed when she was crushed in a stairway is crestfallen at North Dunedin's St Patrick Day "carnage".
Sophia Crestani and her mother, Elspeth McMillan. Photo: Supplied / Otago Daily Times
Elspeth McMillan's daughter, 19-year-old Sophia Crestani, died when she was caught in a stairwell pile-up at a Dundas St flat party, in October 2019.
McMillan, of Wellington, said she was "heartbroken" when she heard two students had been seriously injured during St Patrick's Day partying in North Dunedin on Thursday.
The comments came as it emerged yesterday that 28 partygoers were treated at Dunedin Hospital's emergency department. .
McMillan spoke through tears yesterday; the incidents on Thursday reminded her of when she and her family lost their daughter.
"Going down to Dunedin and creating carnage is not what it should be about," she said.
Students should have fun and get an education, but they also needed to respect the community.
"It just broke my heart to hear that someone had fallen off a balcony and someone had fallen off a roof," she said.
The Sophia Charter, set up in the wake of the 2019 tragedy, was a "really good programme" and she believed all partners were on board to improve the safety of student culture.
She would not want to see other parents go through what her family had.
She acknowledged there would not be overnight change and there was still work to be done on getting through to students - as well as parents and alumni.
"Unfortunately, in New Zealand we have this terrible culture of binge-drinking and glorifying alcohol consumption," she said.
She wanted to see more students speaking up when situations were starting to get dangerous.
Professor David Murdoch Photo: POOL/ Robert Kitchin
University of Otago vice chancellor Professor David Murdoch said Thursday's events were a matter of "profound sadness".
Students were given clear safety messages in advance of St Patrick's Day and he thanked emergency services and university staff for the "immense" work they had undertaken to try keep students safe.
The safety and wellbeing of students was a priority for the university and it would work with students who were found to breach disciplinary standards, he said.
Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said a 22-year-old who fell off a balcony in Park St was conscious and speaking yesterday.
A young man who was seriously injured after falling off a roof in Castle St had earlier been told to get down.
Southern District Health Board chief operating officer Hamish Brown said Dunedin Hospital's emergency department was already under strain due to Covid-19, but there was a "dramatic" increase in pressure on Thursday afternoon.
About 17 people went through the department before midnight.
Another 11 attended yesterday, being treated for various ailments, including broken bones and injuries from glass.
A Dunedin City Council spokesman said contractors were busier than normal yesterday, clearing glass and other rubbish.
This story was first published in the Otago Daily Times
