Bridgetender raised a drawbridge in Florida before a 79-year-old woman riding her bicycle reached the other side, causing her death. Police said the bridgetender has leveled against manslaughter.
An arrest warrant was issued for the bridgetender, 43, at her home on Thursday, police stated.
A cyclist walked across the bridge on Feb. 6 as the woman opened it. The woman nearly made it but slipped from the grasp of a bystander who tried to pull her to safety before taking a fatal plunge.
In its report released Thursday, the Department of Transportation noted that the bridgetender said she checked multiple times but hadn’t seen the woman before disclosing the span that afternoon.
As reported in the FDOT report, she told coroners she walked on the balcony before and after she turned on the red lights and lowered the gates to stop traffic, she made two declarations on loudspeakers, and she stepped outside thrice to make sure there was nobody on the bridge.
Lawyer Lance C. Ivey, who represents the family of the deceased, says surveillance video will prove the claim to be false or equivocal.
According to Ivey, when we get the video evidence of this incident, we will be able to clearly see that the bridge tender’s claims do not align with the truth.
As per the police statement, investigators searched the bridgetender’s cellphone and determined she did not have it in her possession.
Detectives interviewed her again on Thursday after she was brought to police headquarters. She was then taken to jail, where she was charged with manslaughter by blameworthy negligence.
