Boat Partially Crushed When Florida Drawbridge Begins To Open

JUPITERS (CBSMiami/CNN) - Some scary moments for a group of boaters in Jupiter whose pontoon boat was partially crushed when a drawbridge began to lift.

It was a close call, some even jumped in the water out of fear.

While it's not clear why they were under the bridge, instead of being in the main channel, they were stopped under a portion of the bridge close to the Intercoastal Waterway. There are signs there clearly marked, "unauthorized personnel prohibited" and "danger moving machinery."

Gillian Pisciotto caught the moment on her cellphone camera when the bridge started going up and the boaters panicked.

"I think they were trying to move the boat but the bridge ended up folding on them so they couldn't move," she said. "I started screaming at them to move. I thought everyone was not going to make it."

She said she was relieved that the group all walked away unharmed.

The Cato Bridge is operated by Palm Beach County.

According to a manual for bridgetenders in the county, operators are supposed to check for boats, but it's not clear if every bridge has the equipment to do so.

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