Drawbridge Operator Arrested After Elderly Cyclist Falls To Death

A Florida bridgetender who is accused of opening a drawbridge to Palm Beach before a 79-year-old woman walking her bicycle reached the other side has been charged with manslaughter in her death, police said.

Artissua Lafaye Paulk, of Wichita Drive in Greenacres, was arrested at her home on Thursday, March 17, the West Palm Beach police said in a news release.

The 43-year-old bridgetender is charged with one count of manslaughter by culpable negligence, the release said.

On Feb. 6, Paulk was operating the Royal Park Bridge when the elderly victim, who the Palm Beach Post identified as Carol Wright, was walking her bike across the span.

The bridge started going up when the woman was just 10 feet away from the end of the bridge, sending her at least five stories below through a gap in the road.

"The woman tried to hang on," West Palm Beach police spokesperson, Mike Jachles told WPTV.

"There was a bystander nearby who tried to help her, but tragically she fell five or six stories below where she died landing on concrete," he added.

Paulk claims that she checked multiple times and did not see the woman before opening the span that afternoon, the Florida Department of Transportation said in its report.

"I believe that when we get the video evidence of this incident, it will reveal unequivocally that the bridge tender's statement doesn't align with the true facts," Lance C. Ivey, the attorney representing the victim’s family, told the outlet.

Investigators have determined that "Paulk was not using her phone at the time of the incident".

"Always drive defensively, always be aware of your surroundings, see what's going on, because it's our life that we're playing with sometimes," bicycle safety advocate, Juan Orellana told the station.