Below: Leaving Roger Williams National Memorial and walking back to their car, Lee Duquette tripped just as he stepped up onto a sidewalk. He was holding Karen Duquette's hand, so she fell down too. Ilse Blahak was behind Lee, so she did not realize that her sister Karen had also fallen. Once Lee got to his feet, which took awhile, Ilse noticed that Lee's face was swollen and black and blue. Plus he was bleeding and his forehead was in very bad condition and his eye was a bit swollen. Naturally, Ilse was really worried about him.

Below: In the meantime, Karen Duquette was laying flat on her back, and two strangers came by and each person grabbed one of her arms and pulled her up, even though Karen protested. By then Lee was on his feet and noticed that Karen had lost one of her shoes, and brought it to her. That is when Karen also became concerned about Lee so she did not say anything about her injuries. Back in the hotel room Karen showed Lee and Ilse that her elbow was slightly swollen, bruised and bleeding.

Below: Karen Duquette's other arm was also really swollen and the inside of that arm was also bruised. BOTH of Karen's thighs were also very black and blue as was her butt. So nobody is sure how she actually landed on the sidewalk, since so many body parts on both sides of her were bruised.

The next day, Karen admitted to Lee and Ilse that her right arm might be broken because it really hurt and she has been unable to use it. So Lee immediately took her to the emergency room at Kent Hospital in Warwick, Rhode Island. Lee still refused to let a doctor look at him, even though his face was not completely healed. After several hours, it was determined that Karen's right arm was fractured in two places, the wrist and the elbow. The doctor wrapped up her arm, gave her a sling, and told her to get to her own doctor within a few days, which of course was impossible, because they were in Rhode Island.

Then Karen had no choice except to tell Ilse she had to change her air flight and go back to California so she could get back home to her own doctors. That took time to arrange, so the three of them still did their tourist things in the area for the next two days. Ilse got a flight home on June 16th.

NOTE: Karen has actually broken her LEFT arm twice in her life. Once when she was about 12 years old, and again many years later in 1998 while roller skating. But this time it was her right arm and although they labeled it fractured, it took longer for it to heal because it was badly fractured in two places. Three times is enough already.

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