Notre Dame probing who let student go on lift
Questions persisted Thursday on why a University of Notre Dame junior from Long Grove climbed a tower high above a football practice field Wednesday despite powerful winds that would send him falling to his death.
University officials deferred many of the questions, citing an investigation into the death of 20-year-old Declan Sullivan by the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
“Well, with regard to the specific protocols that were in place, that's why we're going to make sure we understand what were they, how were they implemented and who was involved in the decision-making,” Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick said. “That's all part of the investigation that will help us understand fully and completely.”
The incident occurred about 4:50 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday at the LaBar Practice Complex, where Sullivan was working for the university's athletic department on their film crew.
Swarbrick said it appeared Sullivan was responsive and lifted his arm at paramedics' request after the accident.
But the 2008 graduate of Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein stopped breathing on his way to Memorial Hospital of South Bend and was pronounced dead in its emergency room.
St. Joesph County Deputy Coroner Chuck Hurley said the preliminary cause of death appears to be blunt force trauma to the head.
School officials promised a thorough investigation but said that until the probe concludes, they would not answer questions like who, head coach Brian Kelly included, was responsible for asking Sullivan to record the practice despite the stiff winds.
The footage Sullivan and other videographers record is used to help the coaching staff and players prepare. Swarbrick said another videographer was up in another lift at the same time as Sullivan on Wednesday.
Football officials at Northern Illinois University said Thursday high winds prevented them from using their lifts to film practice Wednesday. Northwestern University moved its football practice indoors because of the weather, officials there said.
Swarbrick said he could not answer questions about the lift's make, model or inspection records, but indicated the university has not implemented any immediate policy changes for videographers.
“I've spoken to the coordinator of that program, but in an effort to console,” he said. “I have not been engaged in any conversations beyond that. I'm trying to offer comfort and consolation, because no one in the program was closer to Declan than the members of the video team.”
The football team will wear helmet decals honoring Sullivan for their Saturday home game against the University of Tulsa, officials said. There was discussion of canceling the game, but officials decided instead to call off a pregame pep rally and hold a moment of silence before kickoff.
“You know, I think for some of (the players), this will be important motivation. They'll want to do especially well. Some may struggle with this,” Swarbrick said.
Less than an hour before his death, Sullivan sent two messages on Twitter and Facebook from atop the tower, which stands up to 50 feet above ground.
In one message, timestamped 3:22 p.m. Central time, Sullivan wrote, “Gust of wind up to 60 mph well today will be fun at work... I guess I've lived long enough :-/.”
Later, striking a more serious tone, he tweeted, “This is terrifying.”
The National Weather Service reported wind speeds of 33 mph with gusts reaching 51 mph at the South Bend Regional Airport at 4:54 p.m. Eastern time, just four minutes after the accident.
Swarbrick said conditions on the practice field seemed normal until he suddenly “experienced a burst of wind.”
“Things started flying by me that had otherwise been stationary for all of practice. Gatorade containers, towels, etc. I noticed the netting by the goal posts bending dramatically, and then I heard a crash. The source of the crash wasn't there anymore. It was missing. The scissor lift had fallen.”
Though Swarbrick said he expects answers quickly from the investigation, he would not speculate on any possible policy or procedural changes.
OSHA officials don't have a timetable for when their investigation would be complete.
“We investigate any workplace accident that involves a death,” said Marc Lotter, the agency's communications director. “If there are any workplace violations found, we will issue a safety order and impose fines as necessary.”
The amount of fines, if levied, would be determined by the nature of the violations and safety record of the employer, Lotter said.
United Rentals provided the equipment to Notre Dame, but it is not the manufacturer, according to the South Bend Tribune. HHS Hire, a company that deals in similar lifts, specifically states that it should never be used in wind speeds greater than 25 mph.
The accident happened a day after Notre Dame coaches, for the first time this season, moved practice inside the university's Loftus Center because of extreme weather conditions.
Swarbrick said Kelly was unavailable for questions Thursday, as the school wanted to keep him focused on the players. The head coach issued a statement Wednesday expressing condolences to Sullivan's family and friends.
A special Mass of Remembrance for Sullivan was held Thursday night at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the university campus.
“There is no greater sadness for a university community than the death of one of its students,” university president the Rev. John Jenkins said. “Certainly there's no greater sadness for family than the loss of a son or a brother. It is with a sense of that double sadness, that on behalf of the whole university I want to express our deepest condolence to the Sullivan family, and to all of Declan's friends and classmates. Declan Sullivan was a bright, energetic, dedicated, young man, and we will miss him greatly.”
Family members of Sullivan contacted said they were devastated by his death and asked for privacy. Friends at his dorm, Fisher Hall, also declined to comment Thursday.
Sullivan wrote entertainment pieces for The Observer student newspaper. Its staff stacked up a pile of issues featuring his work Thursday, which included interviews with actor Michael Ian Black and a review of the Roots hip-hop show.
Editor-in-chief Matt Gamber, of Mount Prospect, said the staff is working on an issue in honor of Sullivan, who was known for his free spirit and humor.
“He did a tremendous job in conveying that passion that really drove him,” Gamber said.
His Roots review, from April 12, was a prime example, Gamber said. Sullivan wrote how he loved the band but didn't think Notre Dame was a proper venue.
“I like to go to real concerts, not ones that make me yearn a concert thrown in Chicago, at Madison or a junior college,” Sullivan wrote.
Notre Dame film studies Professor Ted Mandell taught Sullivan a double major in marketing and film, television and theater in an Introduction to Film and Video Production class in the spring of 2009. He remembered Sullivan as someone whose dedication to video technology was obvious and who was memorable for his lively personality.
“I can say he was a fun kid, one of those you remember because he was fun,” Mandell said. “He definitely had a passion for film and film making. He was a happy-go-lucky kind of guy who was smiling a lot and a lot of fun.”
- Daily Herald staff writers Lee Filas and Charles Keeshan, and Pete Sampson of irishillustrated.com contributed to this story.