NEW (Oct. 25 at 6:50pm):
Autopsies are scheduled for Tuesday for the two Notre Dame students who died this weekend after being hit by a minivan. A spokesperson for the St. Joseph County Fatal Accident Crash Team was unable to provide any update on the condition of the third student who was hit but who survived. As of Saturday evening, that student was in critical condition.
UPDATE (Oct. 24 at 10:30pm): Thousands of students, faculty and staff gathered at the steps of Bond Hall on the campus of the University of Notre Dame to mourn the loss of classmates. Director of Campus Ministry, Peter McCormick, and University President, John Jenkins, addressed the crowd with a message of unity and sorrow.
"This is our belief, this is what we stand upon: That we as a Notre Dame family come together, support one another, pray with one another, and believe in a God who loves us at all times and all places," McCormick said.
"We don't come for answers," Jenkins said. "We come simply to let God's grace begin to work in our hearts and the first sign of that grace is that we're here together...to support and care for one another.
Their comments were followed by a reading from a letter from Paul to the Romans and a rendition of Be Thou My Vision with string quartet and piano.
"We have all gathered here tonight in confusion and in sorrow, in shock and in disbelief," one of the speakers at the vigil said to the crowd. "Our minds can begin to understand what happened, but our hearts and our spirits can not take it in. It is too much, too sad, too tragic, too big for us to accept and understand what has happened."
Afterward, Jenkins led the crowd in a long procession to Notre Dame's Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes where many placed candles or stopped to say a quick prayer. Upon leaving the grotto, mourners disbursed quietly through the dark moonless night on the university's campus.
PREVIOUS UPDATE (Oct. 24 at 8:30pm): Notre Dame held a prayer service Saturday night as the campus mourns the deaths of two students. A third student was critically injured as well when the group of students was walking along Ironwood in St. Joseph County early Saturday morning. A vehicle hit all three student pedestrians. New information indicates that after the students were hit another vehicle came on the scene and hit at least one of the victims as she was lying in the road.
A crowd estimated in the thousands gathered outside of Bond Hall at Notre Dame Saturday night to pray. The group then held a processional to the Grotto. A memorial mass is planned in the coming days.
St. Joseph County's Fatal Accident Crash Team (FACT) has released its initial findings.
(You can read the FACT release below.)
St. Joseph County –This morning at approximately 4:09 a.m., a Toyota Sienna minivan
was traveling southbound on Ironwood in the outside lane. Ironwood is four lanes, two
lanes in each direction at this location. The Toyota Sienna struck three individuals, and
then made a sharp left and came to rest against the front of a residence in the 54000 block
of Ironwood after making contact with the house. Both female victims were pronounced
deceased at the scene. The male victim, identified as Eduardo Jose Elias Calderon,19, of
the Dominican Republic, was transported to Memorial Hospital and is currently in critical
condition.
The deceased females have been positively identified, and their families have been
notified. They are identified as Olivia Laura Rojas, 19, of Bolivia and Valeria Espinel, 19,
of Ecuador. Ms. Rojas, Ms. Espinel, and Mr. Calderon were all students at the University
of Notre Dame, as previously confirmed by the university.
The driver of the Sienna sustained minor injuries and has been identified as Justin Cavallo,
25, of South Bend, Indiana. His passenger, Rafik Tannir, 24 of South Bend, was uninjured.
Mr. Cavallo remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
After the initial crash and the victims were lying in the roadway, a second vehicle was
driving southbound on Ironwood and struck at least one of the victims. Based on initial
investigation, it appears that this second vehicle, a Chevrolet Impala, struck Valeria
Espinel. The driver of the Impala, Darlene Holden, 54 of South Bend, was uninjured and
remained at the scene.
The St. Joseph County Fatal Crash Team (FACT) was activated, per protocol, to handle
the investigation. This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and toxicology results
are pending. We will release further information to the public as we are able to do so.
PREVIOUS POST (Oct. 24 at 2:40pm):
Another email has gone out to the campus community at Notre Dame this weekend providing an update on the students killed and injured after being hit by a car. The latest correspondence indicates that the students who died were both young women from South America. One was from Ecuador and the other was from Bolivia. The surviving student is a young man who has not yet been identified. A vehicle struck the three University of Notre Dame students, killing two of them, early Saturday. South Bend police say the vehicle hit three pedestrians before crashing into a house just after 4 a.m. Saturday. Police said the driver was cooperating with investigators. The roadway intersection where the students were struck does not have sidewalks.
(You can read the latest email sent to the campus community below.)
Dear Notre Dame students,
Now that the University has reached their families and offered our deepest condolences, we write to follow up on our earlier message to share that the two students who died early this morning are first-year students Valeria Espinel and Olivia Lara Rojas.
Valeria lived in Badin Hall, was from Guayaquil, Ecuador, and was planning to major in Economics in the College of Arts and Letters. Olivia lived in Cavanaugh Hall, was from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, and was planning to study in the Mendoza College of Business. The entire Notre Dame community grieves their loss, and our prayers are with their families and loved ones.
A third student remains hospitalized, and our prayers for his family and his recovery continue.
We will come together as a campus community this evening for a prayer service at 8 p.m. in front of Bond Hall. Please wear a mask and practice physical distancing as we pray for Valeria, Olivia, their families, and all who loved them. A procession to the Grotto will follow the prayer service. We also encourage you to utilize the University Counseling Center (574-631-7336) and Campus Ministry (574-631-7800) as resources during this very difficult time.
In Notre Dame,
Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., University President
Ms. Erin Hoffmann Harding, Vice President for Student Affairs
INITIAL POST (Oct. 24 at 12:15PM);
The Notre Dame community is in mourning this weekend after the university president confirms two students died after being hit by a car overnight. Another student is hospitalized with injuries. Fr. John Jenkins emailed out a letter to the campus community Saturday.
(You can read the letter below.)
Dear Notre Dame students,
We are deeply saddened to write with tragic news that two first year Notre Dame students were killed and one sophomore is hospitalized after being hit by a car last night. The accident occurred on Ironwood Road near Bulla Road in South Bend, and the driver remained at the scene.
The University is working with local officials to notify the students’ families, so we urge you to avoid speculation and sharing information on social media. Please help us ensure these students’ families and closest friends hear about their loved ones first. We will share more information with you as soon as we are able to do so.
The University Counseling Center (574-631-7336) and Campus Ministry (574-631-7800) are both available to students to offer support during this very difficult time. We will also soon share further information about gathering together in prayer.
Please pray for our students, their families, and all who love them.
Sincerely,
Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., University President
Ms. Erin Hoffmann Harding, Vice President for Student Affairs
| 10:07 PM (18 minutes ago) |  | ||
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Thousands of students, faculty and staff gathered at the steps of Bond Hall on the Campus of Notre Dame University to mourn the loss of classmates. Director of Campus Ministry, Peter McCormick, and university president, John Jenkins, addressed the crowd with a message of unity and sorrow.
"This is our belief, this is what we stand upon: That we as a Notre Dame family come together, support one another, pray with one another, and believe in a God who loves us at all times and all places," McCormick said.
"We don't come for answers," Jenkins said. "We come simply to let God's grace begin to work in our hearts and the first [sign] of that grace is that we're here together...to support and care for one another.
(Sign is in brackets because i couldn't quite make it out but i'm pretty sure that's it.)
Their comments were followed by a reading from a letter from Paul to the Romans (14:7-9, 10c-12) and a rendition of "Be Thou My Vision" with string quartet and piano.
"We have all gathered here tonight in confusion and in sorrow, in shock and in disbelief," one of the speakers at the vigil said to the crowd. "Our minds can begin to understand what happened, but our hearts and our spirits can not take it in. It is too much, too sad, too tragic, too big for us to accept and understand what has happened."
(Best quote above but he was never introduced, sorry.)
Afterwards, Jenkins led the crowd in a long procession to Notre Dame's Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes where many placed candles or stopped to say a quick prayer. Upon leaving the grotto, mourners disbursed quietly through the dark moonless night on the university's campus.