Notre Dame will no longer uses hydraulic lifts to film football practices following the death last fall of student Declan Sullivan during a very windy practice.
Sullivan fell to his death while he filmed practice on Oct. 27 when the lift he was in blew over. According to the Chicago Tribune and Associated Press, the National Weather Service reported wind gusts of up to 51 mph at the time. State officials continue to investigate the death and the university has yet to hold anyone responsible. An investigation is also attempting to determine if Sullivan had been trained to use the equipment he died on.
The school will install remote-controlled cameras on 50-foot poles and continue to utilize two permanent structures for filming, according to the report. The new equipment should be ready for the beginning of spring practices later this month.
"Declan Sullivan was entrusted to our care, and we failed to keep him safe," school president John Jenkins wrote in an e-mail 10 days after Sullivan’s death.
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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune