MIAMI – Family members of a woman who fell off a bridge over the Miami River Tuesday said she has died.
It happened Tuesday afternoon in the area of Northwest 11th Street and Northwest 12th Avenue.
Police said the woman, identified as Olga Aponte, 62, was walking along the bridge when it went up, causing her to fall onto the road.
Family members tried to console each other Tuesday night outside Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, moments after learning Aponte didn't survive the fall from this open bridge.
Police, fire rescue and marine patrol crews searched and eventually found Aponte on the southwest portion of the bridge. Police told Local 10 News she tried to hold onto the railing as the bridge opened into the air, finally losing her grip and falling 30 to 40 feet to the road below.
"She was somewhat disoriented, but had severe trauma to the legs," Miami Department of Fire-Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll said.
Police said Aponte later died at the hospital from her injuries.
First responders said the warning lights and alarms for the bridge were working Tuesday night. But the bridge tender booth sits on the northeast side of the bridge, meaning once it began to open, it would be hard to see Aponte from the opposite side.
It's still not clear how she ended up near the middle of the bridge after the warning arms came down.
"Follow the warning signs, adhere to these things, and that's (what) they're there for -- for your protection," Carroll said.
The Florida Department of Transportation will also be investigating what happened.
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