A 77-year-old man died Monday afternoon as he was walking across the Kilbourn Avenue Bridge in downtown Milwaukee, police said.Police told WISN 12 News the bridge over the Milwaukee River started to go up and the man fell.Richard Dujardin, from Providence, Rhode Island, died at the scene, police said. According to the medical examiner's report, Dujardin and his wife, Rosemarie, were walking eastbound across the drawbridge on Kilbourn Avenue at RiverPark Way. Rosemarie made it all the way across, and Richard was about halfway across the bridge when it started to rise. He was looking at an iPad while walking, the report says.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. When it started to rise, he panicked and grabbed onto the side rail. The bridge continued to rise until it was straight up at a 90-degree angle. Richard Dujardin hung onto the railing for one or two minutes before losing his grip and falling to the pavement below, the medical examiner's report says. The estimated height that he fell was 71 feet.The Milwaukee Department of Public Works told WISN 12 News the bridge is controlled by a bridge operator located in the Water Street bridge house who uses video to monitor that remotely operated lift bridge.DPW said Tuesday that its employee during the time of the incident was fully trained and in his fourth year as a bridge operator having conducted hundreds of bridge openings. He is currently on leave following this incident and connected with the City’s Employee Assistance Program for counseling.Rosemarie Dujardin told the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office they had been in town since Friday. She said he was able to walk independently but was usually a slow walker. He was hard of hearing and wore one hearing aid. He also wore glasses.