Man Who Fell To Death From Milwaukee Drawbridge Remembered

MILWAUKEE, WI — The man who authorities said fell to his death on Monday when the drawbridge he was crossing over the Milwaukee River opened underneath him has been remembered in reports for his life, impact on family, and time at a Rhode Island newspaper.

The 77-year-old man was crossing the Kilbourn Avenue bridge in Milwaukee when it began to rise, according to a Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office investigation document, reported by several outlets and posted in full by CBS58. The man held onto a side rail, but fell to the pavement below when he lost his grip, the MCMEO report said.

The man was identified in reports as Richard Dujardin, of Providence, Rhode Island. He was walking with his wife when it happened, the medical examiner's report said. While his wife made it all the way, he was only halfway across when the bridge began to rise, the report said. He was hard of hearing, and may have not noticed the lights, bells and arms, according to the report.

SEE ALSO: Man Dies In Fall When Bridge Over Milwaukee River Opens

The bridge rose until it was pointed nearly straight up into the air, and Dujardin fell an estimated 71 feet, according to the medical examiner's narrative cited by multiple reports. Dujardin was a retired reporter for The Providence Journal.

In the wake of Dujardin's death, his son, Phillip Dujardin told WISN12 that their faith has held them strong.

"His Catholic faith was really important to him, also he loved to watch the news, to read the newspaper," Dujardin's son Phillip told WISN12 News. "He inspired us academically as well as spiritually."

A column published Tuesday in The Providence Journal by Mark Patinkin remembered Dujardin, who worked at the paper for 47 years. He was a religion writer, remembered as a "low-key guy, always with bit of a smile," Patinkin wrote.

Among Dujardin's work: covering Rhode Island's Muslim community when Kuwait was invaded in 1990, or being at St. Peter's Square to cover John Paul II's naming as Pope in 1978, Patinkin wrote in the column.

What caused the bridge to open when Dujardin was crossing it remains under question.

According to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the bridge is operated remotely from Water Street, and DPW said the operator was placed on leave in the wake of the death. Police said on Tuesday the operator was not suspected of a crime, but the investigation was set to continue, according to the Journal Sentinel.