HOLLYWOOD, FL - Sunday was the last day Desmond Nolan would walk from his condo to the beach.
The 80-year-old snowbird from Deerfield, Ill., had crossed the drawbridge on Sheridan Street countless times. But Sunday, he died after dangling from the bridge as it opened over the Intracoastal Waterway.
"It's just a horrific tragedy," said Jay Cohen, an attorney for Nolan's family. "The family is trying to deal with it."
Police are investigating what went wrong. The drawbridge, which is operated by the Florida Department of Transportation, has flashing lights, a bell and a gate that stops pedestrians and cars when it opens.
Somehow Nolan got stuck at the top of the drawbridge as it lifted open around 3:45 p.m., police spokesman Lt. Manny Marino said. The man was clinging to the bridge as it carried him up, but he eventually let go, falling about 60 feet onto the concrete bridge, a witness said.
Nolan was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The victim's family wants answers, Cohen said. The Fort Lauderdale attorney is launching his own investigation to find out who is responsible.
He described Nolan as a healthy man who worked out and played golf several times a week. He didn't have any hearing problems that would have prevented him from hearing the warning bell on the bridge, Cohen said.
"Somebody did something wrong to cause his death," Cohen said.
Nolan leaves behind a widow, three daughters and several grandchildren, he said.
The bridgetender is cooperating with police, the FDOT said. They would not comment further pending the police investigation.
Nolan isn't the first to fall to his death from a South Florida drawbridge.
In October 2003, Savitiri Motwane, 82, was killed after the Sunrise Boulevard drawbridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale opened while she was walking across. Motwane clung to a rail, but lost her grip and fell from the metal span onto the concrete sidewalk. Investigators at the time said the bridgetender did not see Motwane.
Three other people have died on the Sunrise Boulevard drawbridge since 1988. Two of the deaths happened as people tried to cross the bridge on foot, and the other fatality happened when a man fell through the crack between the road and the metal span.
