Thousands of students gathered at the University of Notre Dame yesterday to mourn Declan Sullivan, who died in an accident Wednesday.
The Notre Dame Observer reports that 1,000 students attended the mass of remembrance, with an additional 1,000 standing outside the basilica where it was held. Five hundred watched a live broadcast from the student center.
The crowd included students who knew Sullivan well, and those who had not met the junior. His family -- including his sister, a freshman at Notre Dame -- was in attendance. Notre Dame Vice President for Student Affairs Fr. Tom Doyle extended a message of solidarity to the mourners: "Tonight's stories and the story of our being here together as a community this night tell us that we are loved, and we are not alone ... Declan Sullivan has told great stories. His life has been a truly great story."
Meanwhile, investigations into Notre Dame junior's death have begun. According to the Washington Post, Sullivan was filming a football practice from a scissor lift during 51 mph winds despite manufacturers' warnings that such towers should not be used when gusts exceed 25 mph. The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration considers Sullivan's death a workplace fatality, and will continue to examine whether university officials were following safety regulations at the time.