Miami police outline timeline before woman's fall from Brickell Avenue Bridge
Days after a woman fell nearly 100 feet from the Brickell Avenue Bridge, newly released information from Miami Police outlines the timeline of her fall and the moments leading up to it.
The incident, which occurred Saturday morning, remains under review as questions linger about how the drawbridge was opened while the woman stayed on it.
Police: Woman returned to bridge after initial warning
According to documents obtained by CBS News Miami from the Miami Police Department, the incident unfolded within an hour.
At 10 a.m. on Saturday, a woman was seen on the bridge and was asked via intercom to remove herself. Sixteen minutes later, the man who reported the incident told police he saw the woman leave the bridge.
However, she later returned to the middle of the bridge and sat on the ground, becoming no longer visible to the bridge operator.
At 10:37 a.m., police said the bridge was cleared, and the crosswalk arms were lowered to block traffic and pedestrians. Two minutes later, at 10:39 a.m., the bridge began to open, and the woman was seen hanging from the structure before falling to the ground.
She suffered injuries to her legs and remains hospitalized at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Bridge opened outside peak hours
CBS News Miami's Chelsea Jones reported federal regulations allow bridge tenders to open drawbridges when signaled by vessels needing to pass. During peak hours - defined as 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays - operators may prioritize pedestrian and cyclist traffic.
This incident occurred on a Saturday outside of those peak hours, giving the bridge tender greater discretion.
Miami Police continue to investigate the incident.
