Detroit Pedestrian Bridge Inspection Expedited After Tigers Fan's Fall

DETROIT — An inspection will be expedited for a 70-year-old pedestrian bridge in Detroit after a Tigers fan walking to Comerica Park fell through the concrete bridge and plummeted 15 feet, landing near oncoming traffic. ained open for days until a newspaper inquired about the incident.

Ely Hydes told The Detroit News he was talking with a friend May 9 and walking across the Spruce Street pedestrian walkway. As he was in the middle of a sentence, a section of the bridge collapsed. Hydes plummeted about 15 feet, landing near oncoming freeway traffic, according to the report. The bridge crosses over the M-10.

"I wasn't sure where I was, and as I was falling I remember thinking, 'I hope I'm not over the freeway.' I landed about 6 feet from the traffic," he told the newspaper.

Diane Cross, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, told Patch on Monday afternoon they only learned about the hole Sunday, days after Hydes' fall. The Spruce Street pedestrian bridge is 70 years old, and a detailed bridge inspection was due by the end of May, she said.

"We would've done a detailed bridge inspection that would've found that," she said. "We only found out about the hole in the deck Sunday afternoon."

The hole was closed and boarded up by Sunday evening, she said, and the bridge inspection has since been moved up to be completed sooner.

"The bridge is closed," she said. "Once we have a detailed bridge inspection done, then we will determine what's next. We need to obviously replace the deck, that's the surface that you walk on. But whether or not the entire bridge has to be replaced, only a detailed bridge inspection will determine that."

Sgt. William O'Brien of the Detroit Police Department told Patch in an email that officers received a service call at the location and talked to Hydes. The officers put caution tape and cones up, then made proper notifications.

Patch has reached out to Ely Hydes and will update when we hear back.