As a 79-year-old woman lost her grip and plunged from a rising drawbridge, the bridge tender now charged in her death appeared to be oblivious to the chaos right outside her window.
She was texting with her supervisor about somebody having a case of pink eye.
Other text messages reveal that the bridge tender was told what to reveal to police about the tragedy — and then to delete the incriminating texts.
Investigative police reports of time-stamped text messages and surveillance video footage of the scene provide new details about the death of Carol Wright, 79, of West Palm Beach, and the arrest on manslaughter with culpable negligence charges of bridge tender Artissua Paulk, of Greenacres. Paulk was released on Friday after posting a $20,000 bond.
Just after 1 p.m. on Feb. 6, Wright repeatedly yelled for help as the Royal Park Bridge connecting Palm Beach to West Palm Beach started to open, lifting her skyward. A motorist stopped behind the crossing gates heard the woman’s cries and blared on his horn, hoping to get the bridge tender’s attention. A man on a skateboard saw Wright desperately trying hold on to the railing, and he grabbed the woman’s arm as her grip on the railing began to loosen. But he too lost his grip, letting go when there was nothing for him to steady himself with and prevent him from also falling into the abyss.
Six minutes before fire-rescue workers arrived, finding Wright dead on the concrete pit under the bridge, Paulk responded to the text message asking supervisor Kathie Harper if the person with pink eyes needed to be hospitalized.
Each time a bridge is opened for passing boats, bridge tenders are required to leave their tower and walk around the balcony three times to visually inspect that the movable part of the bridge is cleared before it is opened. Records show Paulk did not do that even once when the bridge was lifted with Wright on it.
Those records show that during Paulk’s shift, the bridge was lifted six times, meaning the bridge tender would have to come out and walk the balcony 18 times. Records say it was done only one time when the bridge was lifted and two other times when the bridge was not lifted.
Harper is listed in Paulk’s phone as “Mother-in-law.” Text messages show Harper telling Paulk to lie to police a few hours after Wright’s death:
“When they talk to you make dam sure you tell them you walked on balcony 3 diff times to make sure no one was past gates n delete this msg after one time to make sure card stop 2nd time after gates lowered and 3rd time before you raised spans ok now delete this I know ur upset but u gotta tell them step by step how u do opening.” The message was deleted records say.
Records say Paulk responded immediately: “I did.” That message was also deleted.
Twenty-three minutes after that, Paulk sent another text message to someone by the name of Shakira: “I’m here with the police i killed a lady on the bridge.”
Then Harper continued to direct Paulk on what do, records show. That text was also deleted.
Florida Bridgetender’s Inc., a multi-million-dollar company that provides bridge services all along the eastern seaboard, hired Paulk and Harper. On Monday a manager there refused to answer questions when asked if Harper was under investigation, suspended or fired for directing Paulk to tell police she performed her duties as she was supposed to when records say she did not, as well as to delete the text messages.
A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Transportation, which owns the bridge and contracts some of the bridge-tending responsibilities to Florida Bridgetenders, Inc., refused to answer when asked if Florida Bridgetenders, Inc would still be providing services to the state.
____
