When Esmeralda Madrigal learned about the death of 24-year-old Monica Rivera, who fell from a bridge in Kansas City, Kansas, her heart sank. The heartbreaking news brought back painful memories of losing her own son in almost identical circumstances.
Rivera, a young mother of two, was found dead on October 23 beneath the Seventh Street Trafficway Bridge in Kansas City, Kansas. Police said she had fallen through a gap between two median walls.
Madrigal’s 34-year-old son, Johnny Brown, died in a similar incident shortly after New Year’s in 2023.
“When I found out that she died, all that memory, all that came back to me,” Madrigal said. “All the memories, all the grief. Just like I’m just reliving my son’s death.”
KMBC via CNN Newsource
Two Deaths at the Same Bridge
The circumstances surrounding the two deaths are remarkably similar.
Both Brown and Rivera fell approximately 40 feet through a gap between the bridge walls. The opening is just over two feet wide, with no structure covering the space below.
Madrigal is now worried that another family could experience the same heartbreak if safety improvements are not made.
“I’m afraid it’s going to happen again if they’re not going to do anything about it,” she said. “Two lives have been lost already, so I want them to get it fixed where we don’t have to worry about anybody else.”
The bridge is owned by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). Madrigal hopes officials will consider installing warning signs, additional lighting, or other safety features to make people aware of the danger.
KMBC contacted KDOT to ask whether additional safety measures were being considered. The agency responded:
“The northbound vehicular bridge structure design features a protected pedestrian facility, or sidewalk, which includes a barrier and fence. KDOT is reviewing the bridge structure and will determine whether modifications or additional safety features are warranted.”
A Mother Still Grieving Her Son
Madrigal wears a necklace every day featuring Brown’s photograph surrounded by angel wings. It is her way of keeping her son’s memory close.
Brown left behind four children, and his mother continues to remember the final conversation they shared.
“He called me on New Year’s when it turned New Year’s. And he said, ‘Happy New Year’s, Mom, I love you.’ And I said, ‘I love you, too,’” Madrigal recalled.
Those were the last words she heard from him.
After learning about his death, Madrigal visited the bridge herself to understand what had happened.
“And you could still see the blood stains from his head under there. I looked up and started crying because I knew he fell. And he fell that 40 feet. And I just started crying,” she said.
The memory remains painful, and Rivera’s death has brought that grief rushing back.
Madrigal believes that if safety improvements had been introduced after her son’s death, Rivera might still be alive today.
“Two lives were taken and the families were lost. Her family’s lost. I’m lost. I know what they’re going through because I’m still going through it. And now there’s another one in three years. You know, something has to be done,” she said.
Her living room is filled with photographs and keepsakes celebrating her son’s life. Among them is a sign displaying the word “YOLO,” a phrase Brown loved using.
“He said, ‘YOLO, Mom,’ and so one day I just ask him — ‘What are you saying, Johnny?’ He said, ‘YOLO, you only live once,’” Madrigal remembered.
She described her son as someone who always tried to remain positive.
“Johnny was just the most positive person.”
Now, as she continues mourning her son, Madrigal hopes her plea for improvements will prevent another family from experiencing the same devastating loss.
