Man Dies In Fall When Bridge Over Milwaukee River Opens

MILWAUKEE, WI — A man who was walking across the the Kilborn Avenue bridge over the Milwaukee River fell and died when the bridge opened up Monday just after noon, according to police.

The pedestrian, a man from Providence, Rhode Island, was 77 years old, police said. The bascule-type bridge, similar to a drawbridge of sorts, opened when the man was walking across it, causing him to fall and suffer fatal injuries, according to police.

According to a report by FOX6, the man was visiting Milwaukee. A witness told the television station they saw the man trying to cross the bridge as it rose, while another witness told the station they saw the man holding onto the railing before he fell.

After the man fell, first responders began CPR, one witness, Jose Galban, told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Milwaukee police offered condolences to the family and friends of the man who died.

The death comes months after a similar incident in Florida with a bascule bridge. In February, a bicyclist walking across the Royal Park Bridge in Palm Beach died after the bridge opened and she fell five to six stories, police said according to a report by CNN.