Attorney: Bridge tender to blame for man's death

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (WSVN) -- No charges will be filed in the case of an 80-year old man, who fell to his death off an open drawbridge, but the family plans to sue.

Investigators said Desmond Nolan disregarded warning lights and gates, as he tried to walk across the Sheridan Street Bridge.

Speaking via phone from Illinois, his widow Pauline Nolan expressed her disappointment with the investigation. "It never should have happened, took my best friend, my wonderful husband of 57 years, and he has to die like this because someone is not paying attention. It's just not fair," she said.

An attorney for the Nolans said the bridge tender shares some blame for Noland's death. "The video demonstrates that a vigilant bridge tender should be watching and spanning the bridge from start to finish," said Jay Cohen.

Newly released surveillance video shows Nolan walking across the bridge, while the gate on his side is up, and doesn't come down until he's several feet passed it. "In essence, he was trapped and had nowhere else to go," said Cohen. "Then the bridge tender continued to raise the bridge with Mr. Nolan clinging for his life."

It was a walk Nolan took every Sunday. "We've been over that bridge so many times, we know the gates, we know the lights," said Debbie McCann back on Nov. 24th, two days after the tragic incident.

Gina Bordes witnessed the incident. "He was holding onto the grid part. He was just holding on, it took everything out of him to hold on," she said.

The surveillance video showed police and bystanders trying to help Nolan, but the fall proved deadly.

The Nolan family has filed a lawsuit of negligence against the private company that hired the bridge tender.

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