Man who fell from bridge last week dies

The Aspen man who fell from the Maroon Creek Bridge last week died at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction Wednesday morning.

New Zealand native Mark Walton, 24, was transported to the hospital on Feb. 12 after falling more than 100 feet from the bridge onto a thick sheet of ice covering Maroon Creek. A spokesman for St. Mary’s said Walton suffered “multiple traumas.”

According to Jennifer Kilker of the Pitkin County Coroner’s Office, the cause of death is not being released, since the investigation is ongoing. Witnesses said Walton jumped over a guardrail while attempting to avoid traffic.

He was pronounced dead at 4:23 a.m. Wednesday after spending nine days in the hospital in critical condition.