This cyclist ignored the closed gates and flashing lights and rode onto the drawbridge despite the fact it was lifting.
Cyclist ignores warnings that drawbridge is opening
A cyclist in the US has had a lucky escape after riding onto a bridge that was opening to allow boats pass under it.
The cyclist, who had been drinking before the crash, rode through the closed gates, clipping one of them.
She then cycled onto the bridge, apparently not realising it had already begun to open.
And when she reached the spot where the bridge roadway meets the section that was opening, she fell into the gap between the two.
Her bike went in on top of her. It wasn't until people in the area realised what had happened that they rushed to her aid and helped the cyclist up.
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The incident took place in Menasha, eastern Wisconsin, on July 4th after a fireworks display.
However, the surveillance video from the Wisconsin department of transportation has only just become available.
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It has been released publicly to warn others to wait at a distance for the drawbridge to open and close.
Deputy Chief Brett Halderson from the Menasha Police Department said: "She went through (the gates) and she ended up being unstable.
“She went into the gap between the drawbridge and the rest of the bridge."
He added while it took about 1½ minutes for others to come forward and help the cyclist, they only arrived after her and didn’t realise what had just happened.
"What some people usually do when they're at a drawbridge, get through with their electronic devices,” he said of some people look at their phones while the victim lay stricken.
“And then the ones that did see it probably didn't realize what was going on right at first or didn't believe it."
The 37-year-old victim has been charged with failure to obey a traffic signal.
Cyclist and opening drawbridge
The cyclist being treated at the scene before being stretchered off the drawbridge and taken away by ambulance.
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