![]() MILWAUKEE – A 77-year-old man died Monday after a bridge opened while he was walking across it. He’s since been put on administrative leave. In a statement DPW said the operator was fully trained and had been employed as a bridge operator for four years. It’s unclear if protocols were followed leading up to Monday’s tragic accident. DPW says each bridge is monitored by a pair of cameras, which the operators are told to look at before engaging the lift. He held onto the handrail for roughly two minutes until the bridge reached a 90 degree angle, at which point he lost his grip and fell roughly 70 feet to the concrete below.Īccording to the Department of Public Works, the Kilbourn Street bridge is one of 20 movable bridges in Milwaukee and is operated remotely from a control tower along Water Street. Peter ended his post quoting a phrase his dad would often say to his six kids, reflecting how faith remained at the center of his life: “Stay close to God.MILWAUKEE- Milwaukee Police say they are interviewing the bridge operator after a 77-year-old man died after falling from the Kilbourn Street drawbridge Monday afternoon.Īccording to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, Richard Dujardin was caught at the midpoint of the drawbridge when it began to open. Peter Dujardin, wrote on Facebook that his dad was a “news junkie” right to the end and still mentally keen at 77, traveling often by plane to see his 12 grandkids. ![]() Dujardin not only covered the local faith communities, but also international events, such as the installations of three popes in Rome, according to the Journal. The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office said in a statement that it has concluded its review of the investigation and determined that no criminal charges are warranted.ĭujardin's family, including his six adult children, remember him as an avid traveler, devout Catholic and passionate storyteller.Īfter earning a journalism degree from Fordham University, he got a job at The Providence Journal, where he worked for 47 years, mostly as a religion writer. Police interviewed the bridge operator and witnesses, reviewed traffic video, and inspected the bridge operator's work area. He suffered a head injury and was pronounced dead at the scene, investigators said. The lights and bells were operational as the two sections were raised and crossing arms came down at each end of the bridge, according to investigators.ĭujardin grabbed onto a side rail as the bridge sections rose to a 90-degree angle, but he lost his grip and fell about 70 feet (21 meters) to the pavement below, the report states. Rosemarie Dujardin made it across the bridge, which spans the Milwaukee River, but her husband was about halfway across when a remote operator with two camera views of the structure opened it to allow boat traffic to pass. 15 with his wife, according to a report by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office. Richard Dujardin, 77, of Providence, Rhode Island, was crossing the Kilbourn Avenue Bridge in downtown Milwaukee on Aug. MILWAUKEE - No charges will be filed in the death of a man who fell from a Milwaukee drawbridge that was raised as he was walking across it, prosecutors said Friday, noting that investigators found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
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