SOUTH BEND, Ind., Oct. 29, 2010
Notre Dame Student's Death Raising Questions
Died When High Wind Knocked Over Tower from which He Was Videotaping Football Practice
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Declan Sullivan, 20, of Long Grove, Ill, was killed in a freak accident at Notre Dame on Wednesday (photo credit: Notre Dame Observer, ndsmcobserver.com) (Notre Dame Observer)
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Notre Dame personnel examine a location where a tower used to video Notre Dame football practice blew over on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo)
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Notre Dame emergency personnel examine a location where a tower used to video Notre Dame football practice fell over Wednesday Oct. 27, 2010, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo)
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Declan Sullivan, 20, a junior from Long Grove, Ill., was a marketing and film double major and was said to love his work as a videographer for the football team and as a writer for the school paper, reports CBS News Correspondent Cynthia Bowers.
His sudden death has cast a pall across the campus and left people asking about what led up to it.
Sullivan was taping a football practice from high above the field while on what's called a scissor lift when the tower toppled.
On Wednesday, a message on his Twitter account just as practice began shows he sensed trouble. "Gusts of wind up to 60 miles an hour," it said. "Well today will be fun at work. I guess I've lived long enough."
And then, just before the lift tipped over, "Holy blank. Holy blank, This is terrifying."
Sullivan fell some 50 feet to his death.
"It's just a feeling of shock and sadness that I think is really shared by everyone across campus and the entire university community," said Matt Gamber, editor in chief of the school newspaper, The Observer.
Among the questions being bandied about: Why was practice held outside in the wind when it had been indoors the day before?
Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrik called it "an unremarkable journey in the sense that practice was normal."
Swarbrick says it was a *sudden* gust of wind that knocked down Sullivan's lift. ?I turned to face north and experienced a pretty extraordinary burst of wind, and I heard a crash," he says.
This, even though Sullivan's tweet about strong winds came hours earlier.
The football team plans to remember Sullivan this weekend during its game against Tulsa with a moment of silence, and by having its members wear a special decal on their helmets in his honor.
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Add a Comment
- NEW POLL- If the wind is blowing 50mph how many out there would go in a scissor lift?
- Reply to this comment
- "Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrik called it "an unremarkable journey in the sense that practice was normal." What in God's name is that supposed to mean? A young man is dead and this is what he comes up with? I hope the Sullivan family brings this "institution" to it's knees, and then some.
- Reply to this comment
- The coach should be fired, he chose to have practice outside knowing the weather conditions. The kid could of stayed down, but he was young, in college, and did his job. From his tweets you can see he thought like a young person, though concerned, he went with it. Where was the concern on the coaches part.
- Reply to this comment
- 18-20 year old "young adults" can tend to be thrill seekers. They may want to see how much they can endure. While the kid should have came down, he should have never been allowed to go up in those conditions.
OSHA states that injury must be prevented whether it is intentional or un-intentional. In the end, head coach and AD should resign. - Reply to this comment
- Hey Folks, I really hate to sound cold hearted but this tragedy was completely avoidable. This young adult should have looked at the situation... maybe after reading the safety placard riveted to the electric lift... and decided not to take the lift up in high winds.
His last tweets clearly show his concern about his own safety yet he took the lift up anyway. It's pathetic that now the discussion has devolved into a question of who gets sued or if the coaching staff knew the young man's name.
Maybe this is the result of our "Nanny state" mentality run amok.
C'mon people. In the end we are responsible for our own safety.
If the lift was inherently unsafe due to a design flaw, then sue.
In these circumstances I say use common sense and stay on the ground or ask the coach if I can tape the practice from a different vantage point. - Reply to this comment
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- What planet do you come from? You can't seriously expect a 20 year old to refuse a demand from an employer if he thinks it will cost him his job and college degree. I was faced with a similar situation on a job and when I refused to risk my life for my employer I was told it was going to cost me my job. Fortunately I was 35 years old and had been working since age 19 and had more knowledge of OSHA laws than any 20 year old could be expected to have. I just told the creeps that if they fired me, I would make a complaint to OSHA as performing life threatening activities wasn't a condition of my employment. They backed down, but it still was a hard thing to actually do.
- It is a shame that the ND football coaching staff was so consumed about the importance of a so-called game that they failed to even consider the danger of high wind when sending this kid up on this tower to videotape their practice.
The ND coaching staff wastes their concern only on the prima donna football players, while the rest of the football staff from managers to water boys, to videographers are transparent unless they happen to screw up. Did they even know his name? - Reply to this comment
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