A bridge tender in Florida was arrested on a charge of manslaughter after an elderly woman fell to her death as a drawbridge was rising.
Police in West Palm Beach, Florida, arrested 43-year-old Artissua Lafay Paulk on Thursday in connection to the Feb. 6 death of 79-year-old Carol Wright, with investigators concluding that Paulk’s actions, including falsely telling officials she walked onto the bridge and checked three times for pedestrians and motorists before raising the bridge, showed a “reckless disregard of human life and safety of a person.”
“Video evidence contradicts Artissua Paulk’s statement that she walked out on onto the balcony and visually checked the bridge for vehicles or pedestrians prior to opening the bridge,” the arrest report read.
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Paulk’s supervisor also urged her to lie about checking the bridge from the balcony, according to an affidavit viewed by WPTV.
“When they talk to you make dam [sic] sure you tell them you walked outside on balcony three [different] times to make sure no one was past gates,” Kathie Harper, the supervisor, texted her.
Harper instructed Paulk to delete the message and told the Florida Department of Transportation that a witness observed Wright going under the gate and entering the bridge after the alarms started, according to the affidavit.
Detectives obtained a warrant for Paulk’s arrest and apprehended her on Thursday, according to a statement from the West Palm Beach Police Department. The arrest was made with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service.
On Feb. 6, Wright was walking her bike across a bridge when it began opening, which sent her careening toward the ground below.
“The woman tried to hang on. 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,” a spokesperson for the West Palm Beach Police Department told FOX 13.
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While law enforcement attempted to keep Wright’s identity private due to Florida laws, an attorney representing Wright’s family identified her publicly on Thursday, according to WPTV.
If found guilty, Paulk could face up to 15 years in prison.
