Richard Dujardin, a Rhode Island religion reporter, was visiting Milwaukee when he fell to his death from a drawbridge that opened as he walked across. His son spoke to Inside Edition about the tragedy.
A 77-year-old man plunged to his death from a Milwaukee drawbridge as it opened while he was walking across it.
Richard Dujardin, a longtime religion reporter for the Providence Journal, fell back and hit his head on the concrete sidewalk when the bridge rose to a 90-degree angle, his son told Inside Edition.
Dujardin was reportedly hard of hearing and may have been distracted by an iPad when the tragedy occurred. He reportedly failed to hear the warning bells and lights.
Cops say he held on to the guardrail for more than one minute before losing his grip and falling into the Milwaukee River.
His wife was just steps ahead of him as they headed to a Catholic church for mass.
“I just know for a fact that my dad would not have done anything to risk his life,” Dujardin’s son Peter said. “We just want to get a full investigation by the police into what happened and how this happened.”
It's the latest incident in a chain of recent misfortunes on drawbridges.
Earlier this year, a 79-year-old woman died after falling from a drawbridge in Florida. Her family was recently awarded $8 million. Police say the drawbridge operator wasn't paying attention.
