WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Police say a 79-year-old bicyclist fell to her death when a drawbridge connecting Palm Beach to the Florida mainland began rising before she could reach the other side.
The incident occurred just after 1 p.m. Sunday as the victim, whose name is being withheld per Marsy’s Law, was walking her bicycle across the bridge.
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West Palm Beach police spokesperson Mike Jachles says she tried to hang on to the railing, but lost her grip, despite efforts from a bystander on a skateboard who was on the fixed span, just several feet away, who also tried to grab her.
The woman fell five or six stories (between 50 and 60 feet) and landed on concrete.
The bridge was closed for six hours during the on-scene investigation.
Police are trying to determine why the bridge tender began raising the span before it was clear of pedestrians.
The Palm Beach Post reports that the bridge tender was “distraught” over what happened.