Notre Dame tragedy rings loud with BYU video folks

The death of a 20-year old Notre Dame student devastated BYU’s athletic department videographer, who knew the student and had worked with him before.

It also underscores the need to look close at the use of the hydraulic scissor lift for filming football practices not only at BYU but at Utah and other universities.

On Wednesday, gusts of wind over 50 miles an hour knocked over such a lift where Declan Sullivan was filming practice at Notre Dame. In a haunting aftermath, there are twitter messages from Sullivan sent over the Internet before his death that showed how terrified he was up in the air in those conditions.

This tragedy underscores the need for reform locally and nationally with using those lifts. No doubt the Notre Dame situation will result in a significant wrongful death lawsuit.

Chad Bunn, yes, that famous videographer that SDSU is blaming for so much in the Aztec loss in Provo, knows Sullivan and has worked with him many times. Bunn believes the use of the platform needs to change. It is a piece of equipment that is only safe in about 20 mile-per-hour winds.

“Those things are very dangerous and I have been scared and terrified myself in using those in bad weather,” said Bunn.

This accident may force many universities to erect a permanent tower, something made of brick or cement, to ensure the safety of the video people who are dangerously exposed. As the founder of the college videographer organization nationally, Bunn said he will do all he can to promote reform.

I remember one practice day at BYU in which a lightning storm passed through and Bunn was perched on the tower doing his job. He started to come down when the hair on the back of his neck stood up from the electricity in the air. He was asked by then coach Gary Crowton to keep filming.

I have seen the scissor lift at BYU sway in a strong wind and wondered if it was capable of coming down. Now I know.

Bunn says he tells workers who use the platform to take precautions if the platform were to topple down. He said they should stay in the basket and hold on and when it hits the ground, roll out. “Don’t jump out. If you hold on and roll out, you might get hurt but if you jump out, you could be killed if it lands on you, or the fall might kill the you,” said Bunn.

Either way, it seems in wake of this tragedy, nobody should have to hold on and roll or even be left with a decision to jump. These pieces of equipment simply should be banned and workable towers of steel or brick should be used before somebody else is killed.