Confusion, concern at scene of Notre Dame tragedy
It was just prior to 5 p.m. Wednesday as I drove up to the intersection northwest of the entrance to the LaBar Practice Complex entrance when I heard the first siren.
The red flashing light was approaching from the south. As I looked to the entrance of LaBar, I saw a couple people running out.
My first reaction was that a football player had been seriously injured during the practice session. I thought of former Irish offensive lineman Mike Turkovich, who suffered a neck injury a few years back during the pre-season when the Irish were practicing on the field next to O'Neill Hall. An ambulance quickly arrived and transported Turkovich to the hospital, and that's what I was thinking as I pulled into the parking lot.
But as I approached the intersection and sirens could be heard blasting, I looked down the street that runs between the LaBar Practice Complex and the tennis courts, which are about 50 yards east of the Guglielmino Athletics Complex.
I wasn't sure what I was seeing. Lying across the street was ... yeah, it was one of those scissor lifts that the football program uses to video the practices. The winds were howling through South Bend Wednesday the morning forecast said 25 mph with gusts up to 40 and I assumed that the wind had knocked the one located beyond the end zone of the middle three fields. They must have been shooting the defensive work on the middle field.
I thought of longtime Notre Dame videographer Steve Horvath, who through the years was always on top of one of those rises, and I also thought of Tim Collins the son of the voice of Notre Dame Stadium, Mike Collins who is the video coordinator for the football program.
As I walked through the intersection to the displeasure of Notre Dame personnel which was now gathering at the intersection to direct traffic I spotted Tim McDonnell, Notre Dame's director of football personnel.
I asked him if he knew if someone had been in the tower and if it might have been Steve Horvath. He said Steve hadn't done any videotaping this year. He didn't know who was in the tower or how many. But at least one person had been up there. It wasn't Tim Collins. It was probably a student manager, I heard someone else say.
Now there were several sirens blasting, and Notre Dame personnel were directing people away from the intersection. I was asked to leave the area, so I retreated to my car to wait and see what would happen next. I was surprised to still hear whistles from the football field, which told me that practice was still being conducted.
At approximately 5:20 p.m., the Notre Dame football team emerged from the gates, crossed the street, and entered The Gug (Guglielmino Athletics Complex). I was told, but did not see, that Brian Kelly had gone down near the scene of the accident.
My cell phone rang and it was Irish Illustrated editor Pete Sampson to alert me that post-practice interviews had been canceled. No reason had been given for the cancellation. I explained to Pete, who had yet to arrive for interviews, the reason for the cancellation. The story seemed too incredible to believe without the visual evidence I was seeing.
I saw senior Associate Athletics Director John Heisler quickly walk by, followed by Associate Athletics Director Mike Danch. They made a hurried 100-yard walk from the intersection down to where the tower now sat.
With most of the media that had been arriving for post-practice interviews gathered behind a yellow tape, we waited until approximately 6:15 before Heisler stopped in front of us. Heisler confirmed that there had been someone on the tower when it toppled down. Asked if the person or persons had been seriously injured or worse, Heisler said, “I don't know that.”
When I heard the name of the student manager, the blood rushed out of my body. Declan Sullivan, 20, was the victim of the accident. I recognized the name because of its uniqueness. I also recognized it because I had heard it before. He lived in Fisher Hall, the same dorm my son, a senior at Notre Dame, lives in.
Tim Prister is senior editor for IrishIllustrated.com, an online publication covering Notre Dame sports.