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Fla. man, 80, dies in drawbridge accident

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Published: Nov. 24, 2009 at 11:51 AM

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., Nov. 24 (UPI) -- An 80-year-old man fell to his death after getting stuck on a Hollywood, Fla., drawbridge, authorities say.

Hollywood Police Lt. Manny Marino said the unidentified man was killed around 3:45 p.m. Sunday on the Florida Department of Transportation bridge along the Intracoastal Waterway, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

The newspaper said the drawbridge has crossing arms and lights, and its operator is reportedly cooperating with police.

A witness, Gigi Bordes, 34, of Miramar, Fla., indicated the man somehow got onto the bridge before it opened and was able to hang onto the raising bridge deck for awhile, but eventually let go, falling 60 feet to the concrete below.

"It was heartwrenching," Bordes told the Sun-Sentinel. "Everyone was screaming for him to hold on."

Authorities said the man was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood where he was pronounced dead.

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