Milwaukee Kilbourn bridge death; no criminal charges to be filed
Milwaukee Kilbourn bridge death; no criminal charges to be filed
No criminal charges will be filed in connection with the death of Richard Dujardin ? which occurred as he crossed the Kilbourn Avenue bridge on Aug. 15.
MILWAUKEE - No criminal charges will be filed in connection with the death of Richard Dujardin – which occurred as he crossed the Kilbourn Avenue bridge on Aug. 15.
Dujardin was crossing the bridge when it started to open. He was hard of hearing and tried to grab on the bridge's side rail – but fell 71 feet. Dujardin was visiting Milwaukee from Providence, Rhode Island.
The Milwaukee Police Department's investigation included an interview with the bridge operator regarding his specific responsibilities, an inspection of the area in which the bridge operator carries out his operational duties, a review of a nearby traffic camera that recorded much of the incident, and interviews of other witnesses.
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"There is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing on the part of (the bridge operator) or anyone else in relation to the tragic death of Mr. Dujardin," Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said in a statement.
Attorney Jay Urban, representing the Dujardin family. He said a complete, independent review of all the facts is necessary to making changes that can prevent this from happening to somebody else.
Kilbourn bridge death Richard Dujardin
"They are doing the best that they can, I think, them focusing on getting answers is part of this process, I think it’s somewhat beneficial," Urban said. "They definitely want me to continue investigating – which of course we are."
Urban added the district attorney's office noted there are blind spots from cameras; FOX6 News reached out, and officials does not dispute that observation.
The district attorney's office said it has concluded its review of the matter and will take no further action.
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Drawbridge operations
The DPW said it operates 20 bridges as required by U.S. Coast Guard. Ten of those bridges are controlled by an operator who is stationed at a remote location, a practice that the DPW said has been in effect for decades.
"Bridge houses" are responsible for controlling multiple bridges, the DPW said – only one of which is supposed to be moving at a time. The operator uses a real-time video feed to inspect each bridge before, during and after a bridge's opening.
The DPW said the Water Street bridge house operates the Kilbourn bridge and others. The opening sequence for the Kilbourn bridge is the horns sound for marine traffic, then the bells sound for vehicular and pedestrian traffic, then lights flash and traffic gates go down – and finally the bridge opens.