Notre Dame’s David Rivers Badly Cut in Crash; Thrown Through Windshield

David Rivers, a guard on the Notre Dame basketball team, was in stable condition with a severe cut to the abdomen Sunday after the van in which he was riding ran off a county road and overturned, authorities said.

Rivers, 21, of Jersey City, N.J., was thrown through the windshield of a van driven by former Irish player Ken Barlow shortly after 1 a.m., according to William Nowatzke, a dispatcher for the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department.

Rivers, a junior who was Notre Dame’s leading scorer the last two seasons, underwent surgery at Elkhart General Hospital and was taken to the hospital’s intensive care unit, according to nursing supervisor Beverly Meyers.

Barlow, who graduated from Notre Dame in May, was treated for minor cuts and released. A first-round draft choice of the L.A. Lakers, he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks.

He told police he swerved to avoid an oncoming car. Nowatzke said the accident was still under investigation.

Rivers is expected to be hospitalized 10 days to two weeks. “In terms of playing again, it’s hard to tell,” John E. Heisler, associate sports information director for Notre Dame, said.