The bridge tender arrested after a woman’s fatal plunge from a Palm Beach County drawbridge and the tender’s supervisor were fired on Tuesday from their jobs with Florida Drawbridges.
The Pompano Beach-based company provides bridge-tending maintenance services for multiple movable bridges in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Artissua Paulk, 43, of Greenacres, was hired by the company about a year ago, records from the West Palm Beach Police Department say. Paulk had been working on the Royal Park Bridge that connects Palm Beach with West Palm Beach for about two months before Carol Wright, 79, of West Palm Beach, fell to her death. Wright was crossing the bridge on Feb. 6 when it lifted, and she lost her grip on a railing and fell to the concrete below.
Paulk was arrested March 17 on culpable negligence charges. Police records say she misled police when she said she left the bridge tender’s tower and walked the perimeter of the balcony three times before opening the drawbridge to boat traffic. Surveillance footage from cameras on the bridge reveal Paulk did not leave the tower at the 1 p.m. opening.
Police records say Paulk had deleted several text messages between herself and her supervisor Kathie Harper in which Harper directed Paulk to lie to police and say she went onto the balcony to make sure it was clear before raising the bridge.
A human resources manager from Florida Drawbridge told the South Florida Sun Sentinel Tuesday it was left with no choice but to fire both Paulk and Harper after reviewing the police investigation.
“Based on the investigation performed by police, we had to let them go,” said the manager who wanted to be identified only as Sandra.
Eileen Kelley can be reached at 772-925-9193 or .
