The 77-year-old was able to cling on for 1-2 minutes before falling 71 feet
An American man tragically plunged to his death after a drawbridge opened as he was crossing it.
The 77-year-old father of six was about halfway across the Milwaukee bridge when it began to rise, with his wife safely on the other side.
Richard Dujardin was due to fly home to Rhode Island later that day, but wanted to make it to mass at a nearby church before he left.
They were crossing the bridge over the Milwaukee River at Kilbourn Avenue and Riverwalk Way on their way to the church when the incident occurred, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“The lights, bells, and arms came down at each end of the bridge, however, Richard was hard of hearing and it is thought that he didn’t notice them,” the medical examiner’s report said. Dujardin — who walked slowly and wore a hearing aid — was also looking at an iPad as he crossed the bridge.
When he noticed what was happening, he tried to catch up to his wife “but was not fast enough,” the report reads.
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In an effort to survive, he grabbed onto a side rail. Dujardin “hung onto the railing for 1-2 minutes, before losing his grip and falling to the pavement below,” the medical examiner’s report states.
It is estimated that he fell 71 feet.
Police performed CPR at the scene but were unable to revive him. Dujardin died of severe head trauma.
It is unclear why the bridge’s operator didn’t see the man as he was crossing the bridge. The report stated that the operator had two camera views of the bridge, and they had to “check both cameras before allowing it to rise.”
The report also said that Dujardin “was wearing dark-colored clothing, and the railing of the bridge is dark green.”
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