Notre Dame student Declan Sullivan mounted a hydraulic camera tower on Wednesday to film football practice and plunged 30 feet to his death when the structure collapsed in strong winds.
The Long Grove, Illinois 20-year-old tweeted twice while perched on a scissor lift to film the Fighting Irish team. His first tweet came at 3:22 p.m. as practice started : “Gusts of wind up to 60 mph. Well today will be fun at work. I guess I’ve lived long enough.”
Some 40 minutes later the fun-loving and outgoing Declan tweeted again: “Holy —, Holy —. This is terrifying.”
The tower collapsed after the second post, crashing through a fence and landing on a street that runs between two athletic facilities. Sullivan, the team videographer, was transported to South Bend Memorial Hospital, where he died.
Sullivan was double majoring in Marketing and Film, Television & Theatre. His sister also attends Notre Dame, as a freshman.
The school is investigating the tragedy. University president Rev. John Jenkins will preside over a memorial mass for Sullivan Thursday night. He said: “No words can convey the shock and grief we all are experiencing.”
Check out video footage below:
Photo; Raymond-AP Notre Dame Observer