there was a lady on the bicycle when the
bridge was going up right she on this
part I turned around and I saw that she
wasn't past that gate yet was the gate
down when you noticed that it was going
down cuz our gate went down okay that's
her bike right there her bike yep must
have came off the bridge it landed there
goodness gracious there is no camera
that kind of just records everything
that's happening here no we have no C I
swear to go I don't know how this
happened
and I told my room like I don't think
she made it and she was like oh no like
it's their job in the tower to kind of
make sure everybody's cleared oh my
[Music]
God on January 6th 2022 a sunny
afternoon takes a dark turn when a
cyclist in West Palm Beach Florida
begins crossing the Royal Park bridge
when the bridge begins to open before
she makes it to the other side horrified
bystanders are left to witness an
unthinkable tragedy as detectives
investigate a shocking secret is
uncovered leaving them determined to
expose the truth and those who tried to
bury it am I going to jail the following
report is based on official police
records and most of the footage has
never been seen before just after 1:
p.m. an officer with the West Palm Beach
Police Department arrives at the bridge
to meet with a witness Brian who has
more information about the unfolding
situation how's it going what what
happened there's a lady on on the
bicycle when the bridge was going up
right she on this part on this part and
she was about where like like 30 40 50
ft up as the the bridge was going up
right and so he was yelling at her I'm
yelling her get off get off she just
stayed on it as it was going up and when
it got to be like a 40° angle he tried
to grab her she's on the concrete down
here you can see her she's on this
Landing she clean over yeah you see the
bicycle over there stand here to the
back left corner see the bicycle oh yeah
it's there and she's there too but she
went head first right down the
bridge wow
that's okay Brian shows the officer this
chilling image of Carol he managed to
capture from inside his vehicle mere
seconds before she slipped through the
Gap in the
bridge another witness Diego describes
his desperate attempt to save her life
yeah
yeah yeah no no beneath the bridge
another officer is faced with the
sobering reality of just how far the
victim fell the area below known as the
bascule pit descends another 40 to 50
feet down did you guys have a ladder
down there wait this there there's that
kind of ladder right below us oh below
us so we're going to take stairs go down
to the next level and then you can use
those stairs you'll see them go straight
down to her okay that's her bike right
there her bike y must have came off the
bridge it landed there goodness gracious
okay the cyclist would later be
identified as 79-year-old Carol Wright
alongside her bike officers discovered a
shopping bag with recently purchased
books and a business card offering her
Services as a freelance writer another
witness named Annabelle would later
describe passing Carol on the bridge
just moments before the disaster she was
with her bike um and she was shuffling
her feet with really tiny steps and it
didn't look like she could walk very
fast and so I kind of smiled and waved
the common thing and we kept walking um
towards the island is when we heard the
bells start going off and my roommate
and I hurried off to get into the clear
before the arm came down I turned around
and I saw that she wasn't past that gate
yet was the gate down when you noticed
that it was going down cuz our gate went
down okay and I told my room like I
don't think she made it and she was like
oh no like it's their job in the tower
to kind of make sure everybody's cleared
inv investigators will soon speak with
the bridges operator 43-year-old AR tiua
Tisha pul unaware of the disturbing
details that will later surface as they
search for the truth below the bridge
First Responders are faced with a
daunting challenge how they going to get
her out I don't know I work they're
going have to come back probably
I
mean the that team that does
thatal yeah we have to we'll call C and
see if they mean looks accident Point
West Palm Beach fire rescue carefully
brought Carol to the surface using a
tripod and pulley system her death was
ruled an accident but investigators
would eventually uncover a darker truth
and a deliberate attempt to hide it
before they speak to the bridge operator
her supervisor 50-year-old Kathy Harper
answers a critical question so when the
bridge tender is opening the bridge is
she he or she able to see if there is
anyone near the guard rail no there's no
visual there no because when they're at
the control panel you're like over
further so you have to walk away from
the control panel and work see it they
physically operating the control to okay
Cathy's husband Tom who also works as a
bridge operator demonstrated these
procedures for investigators who now saw
the alarming speed at which the spans
open brid ising to open please move
beyond the nearest D and pedestrian
Gat gosh gosh bridge is going up please
remain behind the
GES Rising simultaneously each span
reaches its full height in just under 60
seconds leaving anyone caught on the
bridge with little to no time to reach
react so how long have you been at this
bridge St 9 years 9 years and since
you've been in the bridge St you go out
on the balcony to look every even when
it's R okay and you expect that of
anybody else that's right because it's
straight L you cannot see this side of
the see traffic can't see my GES can't
see investigators question Tisha the
bridge operator at the time of the
incident but her explanation only raises
suspicion today there was a guy running
across so I let him finish running
across which way was he going towards
Palm Beach yes so I walked out and I
watch him go across make sure he was
across I look back over here there was
nobody there so I go back and close the
gates walk back out make sure there's
still nobody there and then I um do all
the the turning and before I open the
bridge you have to walk back out I
walked back out make sure there's still
nobody there how many different times
you come out onto that balcony to check
before the bridge opens how many three
times three different times you did that
today yes okay that's why I don't
understand where she came from you
didn't see anybody the only person you
saw on the bridge was a guy that was
running or did you see anybody different
on the bridge there was nobody just that
guy that was running across this may be
a red flag for investigators who have
statements from multiple Witnesses who
were on the bridge just before the
opening after Carol's tragic fall one of
the witnesses Brian tried to alert Tisha
by using the tower's call box but
initially got no response like 10
minutes later a guy came he was knocking
on the door and I came down told me a
lady fell in the water okay that she was
looking trying to look like the SE
inside the spin interestingly Brian's
statements to police make no mention of
this if Tisha truly checked the sidewalk
multiple times it seems unlikely she
would have missed Carol or the other
pedestrians the real truth of the matter
remains to be seen as investigators
search for a way to verify her story
collecting evidence however ever would
be easier said than done there is no
camera that kind of just records
everything that's happening here no we
have no cameras that record oh fix it
it's interesting um this is a state
state run Branch right it's not County
no it's not count okay despite this
setback the city of West Palm Beach
would later retrieve data from their own
cameras meanwhile a closer look at
tisha's background unveils a troubling
criminal history including several
misdemeanor and felony charges do you
have a procedure where she would have to
get like drug test and now accident yes
you take her right now as soon as you
guys release her I'm going to do a walk
with her real quick and then I'm going
to talk to her Kathy would later tell
investigators tisha's test results were
negative however Tisha wasn't sent to a
medical facility for further testing and
the sample was discarded leaving them to
take Cathy's word for it though Kathy
isn't telling them everything she knows
evidence will later emerge on tisha's
cell phone that fills in the blanks for
now investigators look for other
explanations for what happened are there
any distractions that
occurred um that would have taken your
mind or your your attention away from
the bridge no not at any time any of the
bridge drawings that you do
so so the phone didn't ring no you're
not allowed to be on the phone when
you're doing an opening is there a TV in
there yes you watch you have to turn
your TV off when you're doing opening no
calls on the bridge phone or on your
personal phone no okay like who would
anybody call you during the day if they
knew you were at work or do they know
not to call you kid my kids call me all
day long if you knew you were going to
open the bridge but do you put your
phone on silent do you turn it off like
what would you do for your phone I leave
it on the counter if it rains I just let
it IGN it yes okay to verify her story
police obtain a search warrant for her
phone what they find leaves
investigators in utter shock and makes
it clear that more than one person has
been lying to them all along now Tisha
is brought in for a final interview you
were they prepare to reveal what they
now
know you remember us
okay am I going to
jail well let me
let's let me explain some stuff here
okay detectives read Tisha Her Miranda
rites before delivering the news let me
tell you since that date I been left at
my house I don't go nowhere I stay at
home I don't I don't answer my phone got
the news people sitting at my house I
got the news people calling my
phone I don't leave my
house my kids I don't even send my kids
to
school I know it's been tough I it's
been tough oh my
God have you had time to kind of think
back cuz I know a lot of times when
things happen and we talk to the people
that are involved the day of 2 3 4 5
days a week a month later they think oh
I for I forgot that this happened or I
forgot that that
happened nothing that you remember that
you're like oh I should have told the
officers this or I should have said I
should have explained this this a
different
way
no and I know you've probably thought
about what happened a million times in
your head and went over yeah I still
don't know I still don't know let me
tell you I watch that guy I the guy bur
across bridge that lady was not there
went and did my
announcements went back outside and
checked she still wasn't there however
according to Annabelle's witness
statement there may have been no warning
at all do you remember at any time after
you heard the bells did you hear any
kind of audible verbal announcement from
anybody no ma'am
okay there was no lady
there you went outside of the balcony
and church yes you have to three times
according to City cameras despite six
bridge openings that day Tisha is only
seen on the balcony a total of three
times the last recorded time was at 9:03
a.m. 4 hours before Carol's death if we
told you
that we may it's possible that you
didn't what would you say to
that but there is video that shows the
bridge Tower from the East side yeah
theci side of the door to the balcony's
on
okay see I didn't go out
there what we're asking you we're asking
you if you went out
there I swear I went watch that man run
across detectives prepare to confront
Tisha with a concerning series of texts
they Unearthed though these are far from
the worst ones they
discovered you know we have we have the
your phone okay question I
have there was text messages in
there
that and actually kind of make it seem
like you actually saw her there's a text
message in there I think it's 3 days
later yeah three or two days later
saying something
about she dropped
that's what they that's what they told
me probably that's what the guy that
works with me told me probably happened
she dropped her phone she went over and
reached for it that's what they told me
that's probably what so that's that's
something that you actually saw no okay
justd to clear that up no okay because I
saw that on a text message and a
Facebook message to somebody that you
said that yeah no that's what they told
me I swear to God I did
not
okay that's what they she probably bent
over and didn't see her I swear to God
did not say that I S it like that but
that's what I was told that was
something that you came up with yourself
no that's what the people I work with
were saying she probably bent over to
pick up
something is um and and for the people
we're talking about your supervisor
and um Tom Tom
yeah additional texts found on her phone
finally reveal the heartbreaking truth
of what led to Carol's death but between
12:52 p.m. and 10:06 p.m. when her
attention should have been on the bridge
Tisha was texting a contact labeled
mother-in-law in a startling twist
police reports identified this phone
number as belonging to tisha's
supervisor Kathy Harper at 3:20 p.m.
Cathy stated make sure you tell them you
walked outside on the balcony followed
by delete this for unknown reasons Tisha
is not confronted with any of this
during her interrogation instead the
conversation turns to the consequences
she will now face for her actions so
he's being charged with
manslaughter C
Lang okay that's what it
is what is that it's a second degree
felony h
j well that's that's not up to us it
could be it could be long it could be
could be short I mean yeah there are
State guidelines to how long but that's
not up to us as as how long that kind of
charge Carri senten why that's not up to
us it's up to the
state I would train my life for this
ladyy I would I
believe I truly believe
it I would never do nothing to hurt
nobody investigators allow Tisha a phone
call and the Grim reality of her
situation begins to settle in for her
and her
family yes Pap M yes
hey baby are listen you need a lawyer I
knowen saying I
know looking for somebody to
blame I open the bridge I am the
blame know I open the bridge I I don't
know I was working I killed that lady it
was was action yet but I did I didn't I
would never do
[Music]
that what are you talking
about they charging me with manslaughter
Papo I
know didn't do it on purpose no I
didn't I'm pretty sure you didn't see
come
on don't got no video Camas blame they
don't know what really happen
C they do they they do the video show
her she was on the bridge
P huh the the video show her she was on
the bridge she was on the bridge
yeah damn a later report of Carol's
injuries would reveal that she sustained
multiple broken bones and suffered
severe blunt force trauma to the Head
despite wearing a bicycle helmet at the
time of her fall on March 17th 2 months
following Carol's death 43-year-old old
AR tiua Tisha pul was arrested and
placed on a $220,000 bond according to
news reports 5 days later on March 22nd
2024 Tisha and Cathy were both fired
from Florida drawbridges Incorporated
Tisha initially pleaded not guilty to
her charges and was facing N9 to 15
years in prison if convicted with the
approval of Carol's family Tisha
ultimately agreed to accept a deal
pleading guilty to second deegree felony
manslaughter she was sentenced to two
days in jail with two days credit for
time served and placed on an 8-year
probation the terms of which included
200 hours of community service and a
permanent ban from working at any job
operating heavy machinery she was also
ordered to write a letter of apology to
Carol wri's family however in April of
2023 she was found in violation of this
probation after a routine drug test came
back positive for a controlled substance
drawing questions about the supposed
drug test her supervisor Kathy claimed
she passed after the incident after this
violation it was discovered she never
began her community service and never
wrote her letter of apology to Carol's
family for violating the probation
additional conditions were added
including a curfew and a substance abuse
evaluation according to news reports
Carol's family won an $8.2 million
settlement against Florida draw Bridges
Incorporated in July of
2022 as part of the settlement agreement
the company instituted Ed criminal
background checks new training for
bridge operators and routine audits with
out of area supervisors additionally all
Bridge tenders are now required to watch
a 23-minute video on Carol Wright's life
Kathy Harper was not charged with any
crimes related to Carol Wright's death