The death of Declan Sullivan, the Notre Dame student who died when the hydraulic lift he was taping practise on collapsed in high winds, could cost Notre Dame up to $20 million says Forbes magazine.
Forbes says that if head coach Brian Kelly or Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick, both of whom were present when the lift fell over, are proven to be negligent the wrongful death figure could go as high as $20 million.
On the other hand, the fact that Sullivan tweeted that he felt he was in a dangerous position and did nothing to get down from the lift may damage the family case the same lawyers told Forbes.
Figuring out the number that the family could receive for compensation is more difficult says Forbes.
"Given his young age and good health, his seemingly bright future financially and otherwise as a soon-to-be Notre Dame alum, and the fact that his family will have to live with this tragedy for the rest of their lives, it wouldn’t be surprising to see total compensatory damages (the sum of lost wages PLUS familial pain/suffering) to reach the $15-20M range" says Forbes.
While no amount of money can mitigate the tragedy lets hope this law suit is settled quickly to the satisfaction of all concerned.
Arguing over the worth of a young man who died doing the job he loved for the team he loved will benefit nobody.
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