ND video recorder dies after fall.

MongerKhan

TXL: Pimp Hand Strong
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Notre Dame Fighting Irish AD: Strong gust swept field before tower accident - ESPN

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- As the Notre Dame football team drilled on its practice field, Declan Sullivan stood high above the turf in a hydraulic lift, videotaping the session so players could get an aerial view of their performance.

Suddenly, the wind, already whipping so much that Sullivan tweeted that it was "terrifying," surged as high as 51 mph.

The lift toppled over, crashing through a fence before coming to rest in a street just behind a goal post.

"Things started flying by me that had been stationary for all of practice -- Gatorade containers, towels," athletic director Jack Swarbrick recalled Thursday. "I noticed the netting by the goal post start to bend dramatically, and I heard a crash."Sullivan, a junior film student from the Chicago suburb of Long Grove, Ill., was taken to a hospital, but Swarbrick said he received a call from the ambulance before it arrived saying that the 20-year-old was not breathing. The young man was soon pronounced dead.

Most such lifts extend to about 40 feet, but Swarbrick said he did not know how high Sullivan was when the machine fell over, and it was unclear who authorized Sullivan to go up in it.

As a student worker, Sullivan reported to a video coordinator associated with the football team. Swarbrick said the decision to practice outdoors is left up to individual athletic programs.

A workplace safety expert said the lift should never have been used in such blustery conditions.

The university pledged to review its policy for using the lifts.

"We're going to look at how it was done this day," Swarbrick said, adding that at least one other student was in a lift at the same time as Sullivan.

Mike & Mike in the Morning

Mike Golic shares his thoughts on the tragedy at Notre Dame, where a 20-year-old student died filming football practice when the tower he was on collapsed.

Sullivan indicated via his Twitter account that he was in a dangerous predicament. According to media reports, Sullivan posted the following tweet at 3:22 p.m. ET, just as practice was beginning: "Gusts of wind up to 60 mph. Well today will be fun at work. I guess I've lived long enough."

Then, at 4:06 p.m. according to reports, Sullivan posted another tweet: "Holy [blank]. Holy [blank]. This is terrifying."

The accident occurred at 4:50 p.m. ET, according to media reports.

Swarbrick said he was aware of the tweets and promised to look into "all the dynamics" that preceded Sullivan's death.

A safety consultant with Workplace Group LLC, a Chapel Hill, N.C.-based consortium with expertise in occupational safety, said wind gusts of 50 mph are much too high for the safe outdoor use of any scissor lift.

Some manufacturers make lifts that can be used in winds up to 25 mph, but W. Jon Wallace said he would recommend against using a lift in winds above 10 mph because the higher the winds, the more unstable the equipment becomes.

"Having 50 mph winds with someone inside the scissor lift, it's just an accident waiting to happen in my professional opinion," he said.

Other schools said they are careful to follow safety instructions from the manufacturers of the hydraulic lifts.Penn State and the University of Michigan said their lifts are grounded if wind gusts reach 28 mph. On Tuesday and Wednesday, when much of the Midwest was being swept by winds much higher than that, the Wolverines football team practiced with lifts at 15 to 20 feet.

Athletic officials at the University of Wyoming and the University of North Carolina said they would look at adopting specific policies for video lifts. Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said he checks wind conditions when preparing for practice, even though the school installed permanent video towers last year.

"You try to get as safe as you can," he said. "The wind is a scary thing when you're up there."

Texas Tech football spokesman Blayne Beal said students on the Lubbock campus do not use scissor lifts at all when winds reach 40 mph, and they are allowed to go up only 20 feet when wind speeds reach 20 mph. Each person on the lift has a hand-held wind monitor.

"That gives us real-time data and they can make the instant decision to come down," Beal said.

At the University of Arizona, director of football operations Erick Harper said video staff must be certified to run and inspect the scissor lifts they rent. He said the certifications are done by the rental company.

"They have the authority to lower (the) lift as needed if they feel uncomfortable because many times the degree of wind 30-40 feet high can be different from on the ground," he wrote in an e-mail. "Our guys are harnessed in and ... if for some reason the camera stand lock breaks just let the camera fall."

Ole Miss has permanent towers, but video coordinator Andy Commer said he watches the weather just the same.

"There isn't a football drill or practice in the world that's important enough to get somebody hurt or, God forbid, killed," Commer said. "We agreed that we're never going to make that call to a parent. The question I always ask myself is: 'Would I put my kid up there?"

The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration sent an investigator to South Bend. Spokesman Marc Lotter said it was too early to say when the agency, which has the authority to levy fines, might release its findings.

The team planned to host Tulsa on Saturday as scheduled, Swarbrick said, but players planned to wear decals on their helmets to honor Sullivan.

Notre Dame was making grief counselors available for students and held a special Mass in Sullivan's memory Thursday night. A long line of people waited to get in. Kelly, his staff and most of the team were there.

The fallen tower was hauled away on a flatbed truck Thursday night.

Sullivan's parents met with school officials Thursday, and the family had many questions about his death, his uncle Mike Miley told The Associated Press.

For now, the family wants to remember and celebrate the life of the 20-year-old Sullivan. "He always brought joy to people, and that's how we're remembering him," Miley said.

Matt Gamber, editor in chief of The Observer, the independent student newspaper for Notre Dame and Saint Mary's College, said Sullivan had written about arts and entertainment events for the newspaper over two years.

"He was an extremely enthusiastic and a really driven kid, and that really showed through for us in his writing," Gamber said.

Robert Beamer, assistant rector of Fisher Hall where Sullivan lived, said he was intelligent and a good student.

"Declan was always very, very joyful, just a great presence to be around," Beamer said.

The university president, the Rev. John Jenkins, said Sullivan "was a bright, energetic, dedicated young man, and we will miss him greatly."


Ok...here is the story....before my rant RIP to this kid and thoughts and prayers to his family.
 

MongerKhan

TXL: Pimp Hand Strong
Staff member
Moderator
OK first of all...this kid should have NEVER been up on this thing to begin with in 50mph winds. Chip Kelly trying to toughen up his soft team got someone killed. The kid knew he shouldn't be up there and the athletic director implying that the wind just suddenly gusted up is a joke. It was blowing at easily 30 mph plus all day. Just because everyone lives in "fear" of challenging the head coach doesn't mean that someone if not Kelly himself should have had enough smarts to not put a kid on a scissor lift 30-50 ft up in the air. Other schools have policy's against this kind of event and just the day before Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said in a news conference that the wind was to high to put a kid up on one of these things.

Chip Kelly should not have a job right now. He should resign or be fired for putting a kid in the dangerous place to begin with. I hope OSHA fines the hell out of ND and hopefully this should put some emphasis on dumba$$es to not let kids go up on these things in dangerous conditions.

Also..all these kids should be required to be trained to operate these things and have a wind monitor like TT gives there people so they can make the instant decision to come down if things get too bad.
 

derringer007

"Its An Outrage"
Thats horrible that a student died filming a meaningless practice session

RIP Declan i feel for the parents, family and friends of the young man and our in my thoughts and prayers.
 

MongerKhan

TXL: Pimp Hand Strong
Staff member
Moderator
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The president of the University of Notre Dame sent an e-mail to students, faculty, staff and alumni Friday saying that the school is responsible for a student videographer's death because it failed to protect him.

"Declan Sullivan was entrusted to our care, and we failed to keep him safe," the Rev. John Jenkins wrote. "We at Notre Dame and ultimately I as president are responsible. Words cannot express our sorrow to the Sullivan family and to all involved."

Declan Sullivan, 20, a student videographer was killed Oct. 27 when a hydraulic lift he was on toppled over while he was filming football practice. The National Weather Service reported gusts of up to 51 mph at the time. The school and state regulators are investigating the accident.

Jenkins also voiced support for football coach Brian Kelly, who has said it was his decision to hold practice outdoors on the day that Sullivan died.

"Coach Kelly was hired not only because of his football expertise but because we believed his character and values accord with the highest standards of Notre Dame. All we have seen since he came to Notre Dame, and everything we have learned in our investigation to date, have confirmed that belief," he said. "For those reasons, I am confident that Coach Kelly has a bright future leading our football program."

Kelly has had a difficult first season, going 4-5 so far with disappointing losses to Navy and Tulsa.

The state is looking at whether federal and state workplace safety rules and industry standards, including a federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule barring workers from using scaffolds during storms or high winds, might have been violated. Authorities also planned to review whether Sullivan received training before using the scissor lift.

Marc Lotter, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development spokesman, said Friday he did not have a timetable for when the state investigation would be complete.

Jenkins also said the school's investigation is continuing and warned against prejudging its results.

"Investigations and external reviews such as this take time, but I assure you that, when complete, we will issue a public report on the outcome, including information on the events of the afternoon of Oct. 27, any institutional ramifications and recommendations for safety policies in the future," he wrote.

He also said Notre Dame has hired Peter Likins, the former president of the University of Arizona, to provide an independent review of its investigation. Jenkins called Likins a "world-renowned" engineer.

A funeral service for Sullivan, a junior film student from the Chicago suburb of Long Grove, Ill., was held Monday at the St. Mary Catholic Church in Buffalo Grove, Ill. The school held a memorial Mass for Sullivan the day after he died.

Jenkins said the loss of any student is always a cause for great sadness but said Sullivan's loss was especially hard.

"This loss is more devastating, for Declan died in a tragic accident while in our care," he wrote. "For that, I am profoundly sorry."

He also praised the Sullivan family.

"The Sullivan family, through their incredible grace and courage, has given us support and an example of how to respond. They ministered to us as we tried to minister to them," he wrote.

Sullivan's uncle, Mike Miley, who has been serving as family spokesman, said the family didn't have any comment, saying it wanted to stay out of the way as the investigation continues.

Notre Dame does not play Saturday. Its next game is Nov. 13 against 8-0 Utah (No. 5 BCS, No. 6 AP).
Notre Dame prez: School responsible in death of student Declan Sullivan - ESPN

Really....the schools fault....couldn't figure that one out by ourselfs....
 

MongerKhan

TXL: Pimp Hand Strong
Staff member
Moderator
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame said Monday that football staff responsible for advising whether it was safe to practice outside used out-of-date weather information the day a student videographer fell to his death when the hydraulic lift he was on toppled over in high winds.

Declan Sullivan, a junior film student from Long Grove, Ill., was killed when the 40-foot lift fell over in a 53 mph wind gust on Oct. 27.

The investigation found that staff members likely depended on readings from the National Weather Service provided at 1:54 p.m. that day showing 23 mph winds in the area with 29 mph gusts. Although practice didn't start until 3:45 p.m., the staff was unaware that at 2:54 p.m. the weather service reported winds of 29 mph with 38 mph gusts. At the time of the accident at 4:54 p.m. the weather service was reporting 33 mph winds with 51 mph gusts.

John Affleck-Graves, the university executive vice president, was asked during a news conference why no one involved used common sense and ordered the lifts lowered because of the winds.

"The report highlights that as the primary weakness in our procedures," Affleck-Graves said. "The lack of wind-measuring equipment on the field during the practice and the absence of any single individual with responsibility for monitoring the wind."

The school released the details in a report summarizing its own investigation into the accident. Peter Likins, an engineer and former University of Arizona president who provided an independent review of the investigation, wrote that no one person was to blame for the accident.

"Though a needless loss of life cries out for one to shoulder blame, the facts here do not support any single individual finding of fault," he wrote.

The Rev. John Jenkins, the university president, said he was ultimately responsible and that no one has been disciplined or punished for the accident.

"We did not find any individual who disregarded safety or was indifferent to safety. Consequently, there was not any individual discipline," Jenkins said. "Our conclusion is that it's a collective responsibility that must be deal with collectively as we move forward."

Football coach Brian Kelly said the death of Sullivan has affected him.

"You're never quite the same. But I think it has been articulated, I think we're all collectively focused on making sure something like this never happens again," he said.

The school noted that three people were most involved in advising Kelly on whether it was safe to practice outside: director of football operations Chad Klunder, then-head athletic trainer Jim Russ and Tim Collins, director of football video and film. "Ultimately, no one -- not Collins, Klunder, nor Russ -- told Kelly or any coach that practice should be held indoors or that the lifts should not be used," the report says.

Although Notre Dame staff members weren't aware that the weather service was reporting higher wind speeds, Sullivan was. The report said Sullivan checked the weather before practice at weather.gov and saw a warning indicating the possibility of gusts up to 60 mph. Klunder, Collins and Russ did not recall seeing the wind warning.

The report did say that while Collins was concerned about the wind, "he did not believe that the winds were strong enough to warrant grounding the lifts."

There was no immediate response from Sullivan's family, who have said they hope others will learn from Sullivan's death and take appropriate safety steps. The school has replaced the lifts with remote-controlled cameras.

The report was released two days after spring football practiced wrapped up and about a month after the Indiana Occupational Health and Safety Administration fined Notre Dame $77,500 for six safety violations tied to Sullivan's death, including knowingly putting its employees in an unsafe situation and failing to heed weather service warnings.

Notre Dame said its investigation found "the accident was caused by a confluence of unrelated events and issues" -- among them a failure to provide football staff a way of monitoring wind speed during practices. Affleck-Graves also noted that the school's office of risk management didn't know the football team used the lifts to film practice.

Other factors cited as causes of the collapse were the lift being fully extended 40 feet and an unusual burst of wind described as "highly irregular," occurring in South Bend approximately once every three years in non-thunderstorm conditions. The report also said some of the violations cited by state regulators played no role in Sullivan's death, including the fact that the lift hadn't been inspected in more than a year.

Notre Dame has told IOSHA it wants a formal hearing to discuss the state's findings.

The school said it found there was an unwritten policy of lowering the lifts when winds exceeded 35 mph. The other two lifts being used that day were not supposed to be used in winds of more than 28 mph, and those were less susceptible to tipping than the one Sullivan was on.

But it also said that an engineering analysis found that "wind speeds significantly higher than 35 mph were necessary to tip the lift."

The IOSHA report quoted Sullivan as telling assistant video coordinator Reuel Joaquin "Aw, man, this sucks," when he was told the practice would be outdoors that day. He also tweeted that the weather was "terrifying" and also wrote: "Gusts of wind up to 60 mph today will be fun at work ... I guess I've lived long enough."

University investigators, however, couldn't determine whether Sullivan "felt unsafe and pressure to stay in the lift," specifically questioning his use of the word "terrifying."

"Student videographers indicated their belief that the tweets likely reflected his joking nature, adding that his use of that word was common," the report said.

Jenkins said it is impossible to know whether Sullivan was worried about his safety when he sent the tweets.

The president also said the university is heeding the words of Sullivan's parents, Barry and Alison, and IOSHA and will work to improve safety on campus and to educate others to help ensure such an accident doesn't happen again, including coming up with a protocol to ensure practices are held in a safe environment. He also said Notre Dame will work with IOSHA to develop a national safety education program.

Favorite part has to be that John Affleck-Graves, the university executive vice president, was asked during a news conference why no one involved used common sense and ordered the lifts lowered because of the winds. "The report highlights that as the primary weakness in our procedures," common sense is the primary weakness in there procedures.
 

Cerberus

In Dog We Trust
Thats horrible that a student died filming a meaningless practice session

RIP Declan i feel for the parents, family and friends of the young man and our in my thoughts and prayers.


My thoughts exactly. Just sad and meaningless incident.
 
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