Rice University Deadly Building Collapse

 

 BEHIND THE SCENES OF A NEWS STORY

My photographer and  I had just wrapped up our live shot for the 4 o’clock news when we got a phone call from the  assignments desk.

We were told to rush over to Rice University.  There was a report of  a  possible building collapse and people trapped under the rubble.

We drove to the campus and saw the familiar flashing lights of emergency vehicles.

Joe (the photographer) grabbed his camera and started shooting video of the scene, while I searched for  people to interview. 

A short time later we learned that one construction worker was killed and seven more were injured. 

When a tragic event like this is unfolding, you don’t really have time to think about anything but gathering all of the cold hard facts and preparing for the next newscast.

Joe and I, along with three other co-workers on the ground, and  two in the news helicopter scrambled to get the story ready for viewers of the 6 o’clock news.

Later as I was driving home and no longer running on adrenaline –  I thought about the victim. 

Who was he?  Was he married?  Did he have children?  After the wall collapsed on him did he know he was dying?

We will eventually get the answers to those questions.

In the meantime,  I remind myself that my job isn’t just about making deadlines.  IT IS about the people who make-up our community.  

People who get up and go to work everyday, trying to make a living and make a difference, and God willing – they never become the lead story on the six o’clock news.