Grant Park Seven Bridges railing comes loose; toddler, mom hurt

Park railing comes loose; toddler, mother injured

A Milwaukee toddler and mother were hurt when a Grant Park Seven Bridges Trail railing came loose. The family said they plan to file a lawsuit.

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee family plans to file a lawsuit after their walk through the park Sunday, June 25 resulted in a trip to the hospital.

At Grant Park in South Milwaukee, the family said their toddler fell from one of the bridges along the Seven Bridges Trail. The mother, Nicole Alford, then tumbled in after trying to catch him. They blame a loose railing.

"I love everything about it – especially Seven Bridges," Alford said. "You can see so much. There’s so many paths you can take."

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Alford said her 21-month-old son, Braydon, went to the edge to look at the water below when a wooden railing came lose and Braydon fell over.

"As I was trying to catch him, I did a flip, and he landed in the mud and I landed on the rocks," said Alford.

Toddler, mother injured after railing comes loose at Grant Park Seven Bridges Trail

Alford said it was an eight-foot drop that sent her to the hospital. Braydon's arm got scraped, too.

Workers made repairs Tuesday morning and said none of the logs looked rotten.

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"It could have been potential vandalism, but there needs to be more of an accountability," said Rick Brown, the boy's father. "If they notice some is wrong, fix it before someone’s child falls off the bridge."

Alford hopes the parks department keeps a closer eye on the trails. She wants her family to keep enjoying them for years to come.

"If it’s not able to be maintained then it shouldn’t be opened," Alford said.

A Milwaukee County Parks spokesperson said repairs started the morning after they were notified of the damage. He said bridges have been vandalized in the past and are regularly inspected. That statement in full read:

Parks received the report of damage on Monday, June 26. Our Trades Team was on site making repairs on Tuesday, June 27, in the morning at the start of the work day.
Bridges are regularly visually inspected by our Operations and Trades Team, and service requests for repairs are submitted after inspections.
Unfortunately, bridges have been vandalized at our parks in the past. Park patrons who witness vandalism are asked to call the Parks Rangers Team at 414-257-7777 and the non-emergency number of the Sheriff's Office 414-278-7888.
Patrons who use Milwaukee County Parks facilities and equipment do so at their own risk.