Police said that a drawbridge linking Palm Beach and the Florida mainland was rising when a bicyclist fell. Officials said that a bystander attempted to pull the woman to safety, but lost his grip.
“The woman tried hanging on. “The woman tried to hang on. According to the Palm Beach Post, the bridge tender was “distraught”.
Juan Orellana, a bicycle safety advocate and West Palm Beach television station WPTV stated that Palm Beach can only be accessed through three bridges. “Palm Beach can only be reached by this bridge so it’s very popular with cyclists.”
To alert pedestrians and drivers that the bridge is being raised, the bridge has bells and whistles.
He said, “For one, you will hear the bell prior to the arms go down. So when you hear it you need to get out of the bridge before it goes up.”
The name of the woman has not been revealed. Police said that the bridge was closed for six hours following the accident. It was then reopened at 7 p.m. on Sunday.
