University of Notre Dame investigates death of student videographer

Client(s) University of Notre Dame

Jones Day served as counsel to the University of Notre Dame in connection with an investigation into the death of a student videographer at Notre Dame football practice. On October 27, 2010, a student videographer was killed when the elevated scissor lift from which the student was filming football practice tipped over. Notre Dame's investigation identified several factors that caused or contributed to the accident, including: (1) the presence of unusual wind conditions; (2) staff members' lack of knowledge regarding current and projected weather conditions; (3) characteristics of the lift involved in the accident; and (4) the height of the lift involved in the accident. The investigation also identified a number of factors that did not cause or contribute to the accident and made a series of recommendations to help prevent a similar accident from occurring again—at Notre Dame or anywhere else.