Man visiting Milwaukee falls to death, didn't realize drawbridge was opening

A very sad story. Richard Dujardin was visiting from Providence RI. He was looking down at directions on his iPad and was hard of hearing, so probably didn’t notice the drawbridge warning bells or lights. The drawbridge operator apparently didn’t see him.
It’s terrible to imagine how he must have felt clinging to the bridge railing as it opened. It just feels like a pointless way to die.

Sad indeed.

I get that he was hard of hearing, and looking down at his iPad, but…wouldn’t he feel the bridge rising below his feet and then scurry back to safety?

mmm

He was an elderly, slow-moving man. No scurrying.

Edit to add: in retrospect, lying down and allowing the increasing slope to log-roll him might have worked better, but panic is a powerful obstructor of rational thought.

Yes, I thought the same thing, but 77/hard of hearing obviously played its role in his demise. The fact that his wife made it all the way across while he was still in the middle is kind of indicative of reduced mobility.

Unfortunately, these kinds of accidents can happen to anyone. As we age, our senses and judgment become impaired, and we often can’t react fast enough to avoid a dangerous situation. Spoken by someone who occasionally trips over visible rocks and roots on trails almost daily.

Especially people walking while staring at an iPad.

Look, I’m old and hard of hearing, and I’ve walked over that bridge… if “Staring At Electronic Device” was taken out of the equation, I’m sure he would have noticed what was going on and would still be here today.

As an aside, I can’t tell you how many younger people I’ve almost run over because they’re looking at their phone. They get to a busy street and just keep walking into traffic.

Moral of this story: There’s nothing on your device so urgent that you need to be in motion while looking at it. Come to a halt in a safe space then pull it out. And even then keep your eyes on a swivel and your brain engaged with the outside world. Lest said outside world smite thee mightily.

Amen.

Seems too easy to blame the iPad here and not the operator. Looking at the article, the warning lights and alarms went off when he was already at the middle of the bridge.

Rose-Marie made it all the way across the bridge to its east side, and Richard was still in the middle of the bridge when it began to rise, according to the medical examiner.

“The lights, bells, and arms came down at each end of the bridge, however Richard was hard of hearing and it is thought that he didn’t notice them,” the report said.

Dujardin, who also walked slowly and used a hearing aid, tried to catch up to his wife when the bridge began to open, but he couldn’t make it to her in time. He grabbed onto the side railing and held on for one to two minutes as the bridge continued to rise, the report said.

How much time was there between the alarms going off and the bridge starting to rise? If he couldn’t walk very fast, it might not have made a difference.

I live adjacent to a similar drawbridge that opens many times per day. Mine has two opposing spans and each is maybe 10% longer than the accident bridge. I’ve watched that process from my car, from standing at the gates, or from my balcony many, many times. No matter how often you see it, it’s still somehow interesting.

At least at my bridge …

From the bridge center one could readily jog to safety at the first sound of bells or lighting of flashing lights. A healthy person’s brisk walk would not quite make it in time. An elderly walk stands no chance.

Once the bridge starts moving even a sprinter is in deep shit. It takes only a few seconds for the slope to get too steep to maintain footing. Then you tumble uncontrollably to the bottom, perhaps to get jammed in the opening crack between fixed and moving segments. There to be crushed in a couple minutes when the bridge goes back down.

My survival plan if I was ever caught mid-span on foot like that was/is to dive for the railing and wrap my arms & legs around a stanchion so I wouldn’t be relying on grip strength to support me. As the bridge rose I’d end up sitting on the intersection between the normally vertical and horizontal members of the railing which now form a V opening upwards. Then just sit there until the ride is over.

This certainly reminds me of the recent “Where do you look when walking?” thread.

Dujardin, who also walked slowly and used a hearing aid, tried to catch up to his wife when the bridge began to open, but he couldn’t make it to her in time. He grabbed onto the side railing and held on for one to two minutes as the bridge continued to rise, the report said.

He did notice it was rising, and he did try to get to the end. He was too slow.

I am the slower-walker of a married couple. Although Mr VOW’s Parkinson’s is starting to affect his gait these days.

We stay TOGETHER, if only to hold each other up.

Even in my better days, I wouldn’t walk across a drawbridge. That’s what cars are for!

~VOW