Crime & Safety
No Criminal Charges For Milwaukee Bridge Operator After Fatal Fall: DA
After a man fell from a Milwaukee drawbridge when it opened underneath him, the DA said it won't criminally charge the bridge's operator.
MILWAUKEE, WI — After a pedestrian fell to his death from a Milwaukee River drawbridge in August, the person who operated the bridge will not face criminal charges, the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.
Richard Dujardin, a 77-year-old retired newspaper reporter from Rhode Island, was walking across the Kilborn Avenue bridge on Aug. 15 when it opened and suddenly brought him into the air, causing him to fall, according to a Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's report. The report was released soon after the death and posted in full by CBS58.
There was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing from the bridge operator or anyone else in Dujardin's death, the district attorney's office said. With that, the office closed its review.
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Milwaukee police interviewed the bridge operator from the day of the fall and asked about his responsibilities, according to the district attorney's office. Police also inspected the area where the operator worked and reviewed traffic cameras that captured the incident.
Dujardin was visiting Milwaukee when he fell from the bridge. A witness told FOX6 after the incident that they saw the man holding onto the railing before he fell.
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A similar incident had happened in Florida in February. Police said a bicyclist was walking across the Royal Park Bridge in Palm Beach when it opened and she fell to her death, according to CNN.
RELATED: Man Who Fell To Death From Milwaukee Drawbridge Remembered
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