RSS
Sport


Home Page > Sport > Notre Dame death probe report to be released

Notre Dame death probe report to be released

By
BRYAN FITZGERALD,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, March 16, 2011, 7:34 AM
Updated Wednesday, March 16, 2011, 7:34 AM

print this article Print
email this articleE-mail
comment on article 2 Comments
 

Declan Sullivan died after the video tower he was working in blew over in strong winds
Declan Sullivan died after the video tower he was working in blew over in strong winds


Notre Dame has been levied a $77,500 fine in the death of Notre Dame student Declan Sullivan.

Sullivan was killed when the hydraulic lift he was on while taping Notre Dame football practice fell over in 53 mph winds. Indiana regulators fined the school for breaching several safety violations. The school failed in providing safe working conditions and also neglected the National Weather Service warnings.

The service warned of gusts up to 45 mph expected that day. Sullivan himself noted the dangerous conditions in his Twitter account an hour before his death. "Gusts of wind up to 60 mph today will be fun at work ... I guess I've lived long enough," he twittered. The school’s scissor lift was not supposed to be utilized in winds over 25 mph.

Indiana department of Labor Head, Lori Torres, noted that Notre Dame is at fault for putting the student at risk in the lift and not heeding the weather alerts.

The school was also fined for the failure to make inspections of the lifts; a failure to service the equipment as suggested by the manufacturer; and a failure to have an operator’s manual on the lift.

Warning labels were missing from the scissor lift or were worn or faded.

The school has until April to pay the fines, contest the charges, or meet with state regulators.

To avoid such incidents in the future, Notre Dame plans on installing remote-controlled  cameras at its outdoor fields starting on March 23rd. No longer will hydraulic lifts be utilized for taping football.

​
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail


2 Comments

See all comments

EphraimKibbey | Mar 16, 2011, 09:09 PM EDT
This sounds like CRIMINAL negligence to me! Has anyone been arrested yet! Fining big companies and institutions will not cause the individuals charged with carrying out the safety procedures to be more careful but having someone go to jail just might. Nothing can bring Mr. Sullivan back but a few convictions might save someone else from an corporate frame of mind that makes an institution's employees think they can ignore safety laws.

Report abuse

Fastest | Mar 16, 2011, 06:10 PM EDT
What will Indiana do with the $77,500? Will the estate of Mr. Sullivan receive anything from this ruling or must the estate now sue?

Report abuse

 




Connect to IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or Sign-Up directly

Already Registered? Sign-In!

Welcome to IrishCentral!
Please provide the following information in order to create your account

Username:
E-Mail Address:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy


Already Registered? Sign-In!
Forgot my password

Welcome to IrishCentral!
All we need is the following information and you will be part of the #1 Irish community in the US

E-Mail Address:
First select a unique username:
Username:
Now choose a password:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Thank you!

Just one more step and you will be part of the largest Irish community in America! Tell us a little more about you to start enjoying all the features of IrishCentral.

Additional Information:

First Name:
Last Name:
Date of Birth:
Zip:
Gender: Male  Female 
Country:
Degree of Irishness:
Household Income:
Level of Education:

Subscribe to our newsletters:

The Best of IrishCentral - Daily Newsletter
Special Offers from our sponsors

or
Skip

You can edit your information at any time, just go to "my account" when you're logged in.

Log into IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

E-Mail:
Password:
 Remember me Forgot my password
Not a member? Register Now!
submit to reddit
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail