Replies

Draw bridges are manned just so things like this don’t happen.
Normal procedure is for the alarms to go off and the barrier drop before the bridge raises. The operator is supposed to give traffic whatever time is needed to clear the bridge to ensure no injuries or deaths.
Only after ensuring that all traffic has cleared the bridge does the operator start raising the bridge.

IMVHO this lady didn’t venture out onto the bridge until the operator had started the bridge actually raising. She probably thought she had time to make it across. Think again Florida Woman.

I imagine the guy that tried to help her ran from his car to get her to stop.

A New Orleans cop died on a draw bridge in 2009. In that instance street lights were out, bridge lights were a out, most of the safety measures were fubar...hey, its N’Awlins.
https://www.nola.com/news/article_7887f675-4019-593b-af29-c63feddc4cd9.html

Some are raise on-demand,but, they tend to be out in low-traffic areas. West Palm is NOT a low traffic area.

We’ve not been through that bridge, but, almost all the bridges we HAVE driven the sailboat through blow a horn (and sometimes use a loudspeaker) before lifting the bridge. Then there is the gates they lower to keep folks away from the lifts.

She had to have ignored the all of the warnings to get in that situation.

I thought such bridges were raised on schedule and automatically

I've been under this bridge several times on my sailboat. The procedure is to call the bridge on the specified VHF channel. Typically I'd say I'm the southbound white catamaran and request a bride opening.

Some bridge tenders would make you get close and then open the bridge, some would arrange it so that it was open when you got there...

The bells and whistles go off well before the bridge is raised. Without a doubt IMHO, the woman continued on to cross the bridge and the tender did not see her. Once the bridge was raised sufficiently, there is a gap in the roadway between the fixed portion and the inclined portion. The story said she was within 10 feet of the arms to stop traffic and apparently some guy, possibly her friend, held out his had to help her across the gap in the roadway.

Some of these bridges would have nothing to hang on to when the bride was raised so once it started to move up, she had to jump over the gap in the roadway as it would be far too steep to stay on the inclined portion.

The woman was a fool to try and cross the bridge with the warning bells going. The bridge tender was definitely at fault because he didn't ensure the bridge was clear before starting the opening of the bridge. In the bride tender's defense, I'll bet the bridge was clear and the woman decided she was going to cross after he made his checks.

We have a drawbridge in St Augustine, and it’s much easier to find yourself out there than you’d think…if the bridge tender isn’t paying attention.

Boats have the right of way, so while there’s theoretically a schedule, it could go on longer than expected or a boat might start through a little early, arrive a little late, etc.

All of the mechanical alarms go off, the arms drop, etc. but the bridge tender is supposed to step out and visually ensure that there is nobody within the gates.

This woman was walking a bicycle. She was doing the right thing…most bicyclists just mow down the pedestrians on the walkways! But obviously she was slower and the bridge tender didn’t check.