WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A 57-year-old woman was injured after she fell from the Royal Park Bridge on Sunday night as she was walking her bicycle across the span, according to West Palm Beach police.
Police said a 911 call was made just before 8:30 p.m. stating that a woman and a bike fell through the drawbridge.
A few minutes later, a passing boater, a 53-year-old man from Hawthorne, Florida, heard the injured woman calling for help. The fisherman was able to rescue her and took her to a nearby marina.
Palm Beach Fire Rescue paramedics arrived at the scene and took the woman, a Palm Beach resident, to St. Mary's Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries.
West Palm Beach police spokesman Mike Jachles said the drawbridge was opened from 8 p.m. to 8:05 p.m. Twenty-three minutes elapsed before the first 911 call was received.
Jachles said in an initial statement taken from the woman, she said she was walking from west to east with her bicycle on the north side of the bridge near the pedestrian walkway when the bridge began to open as she was about 3 feet from the pedestrian warning gate.
Detectives estimate that the woman fell about 6 to 10 feet to one of the landings beneath the bridge.
Jachles said officers conducted a walk-through of the scene and recovered the woman's bicycle in the lower portion of the bridge.
Detectives interviewed the bridge tender, a 28-year-old Riviera Beach woman and contacted Florida Drawbridges Inc. (FDI), her employer and the Florida Department of Transportation.
Police said there is no surveillance video from the bridge since the cameras are live-view only and do not record. Detectives plan to interview the woman again to clarify her initial statement.
At this point, the case is not being considered a criminal investigation, Jachles said.
WPTV spoke Friday with people who were walking across the bridge. They said they're always cautious since this is a drawbridge.
"I actually ride my scooter across here, and I walk across it going to the beach," Christian Tedesco said. "I've usually felt safe going across the bridge but hearing that makes me want to be more cautious in the future."
Robert Wassmuth said it's all about knowing your surroundings.
"I'm aware that it opens, and I try to be mindful of the lights, sirens and pay attention," Wassmuth said.
WOMAN DIED AFTER BRIDGE FALL LAST YEAR
This is the second time a woman has fallen off the Royal Park Bridge in the last 14 months.
Carol Wright, 79, died Feb. 6, 2022, when she was walking her bike across the bridge and it suddenly started going up. An $8.2 million settlement was reached after FDI was sued for her death.
Last year Wright's niece, Jill Sanchez, spoke with WPTV about her aunt's death.
"This should have never happened," Sanchez said. "Until my aunt died a horrible death, there were way too many near misses that nobody knew about."
FDI also agreed to conduct criminal background checks on all bridge tenders, recertification training and rotating audits with out-of-area supervisors.
FDI's bridge tenders are also required to watch a video about Wright and how the tragedy devastated those who knew her.
