By Shereen Siewert

A 51-year-old man who fell from a fourth-story window at a downtown Wausau apartment in March has died of his injuries, Wausau Pilot & Review learned.

Details were released through an open records request with the Wausau Police Department.

The man, identified in police reports as Richard Dykstra, thought he was fleeing from officers who were not actually in the building. Investigators concluded his death was a tragic accident that happened when he attempted to climb out a window using a rope made from blankets.

The rope broke between the third and fourth stories of the Landmark Apartments, 221 Scott St., Wausau.

Officers responded at about 6:40 a.m. Tuesday, March 21 to a 911 call from a resident at the building after the man’s fall. Police and rescue crews arrived to find the man injured on the sidewalk on Scott Street along with the bedding materials that he tied together. Early witness statements from downtown business owners indicating officers were already inside the building prior to the man’s fall are false, police said.

Dykstra was transported to Aspirus Wausau Hospital in critical condition. He remained on life support pending organ donation and was pronounced dead March 30, according to the police report. No foul play is suspected.