Cameras Capture Drawbridge Crashing Down On Yacht
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Cameras captured the moments when a drawbridge crashed down on a mega yacht on Tuesday.
Fifteen people were on board at the time of the incident.
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Cameras rolled as the Broad Causeway Bridge was up waiting for the yacht, called the "RockStar" to be towed through the bridge passage way.
The bridge was slowly coming down as the ship was passing below and the span was coming down.
The ship almost made it, but the falling bridge stopped the yacht dead in the water.
"The bridge just didn't get to it's locked position, and it just came down in a very slow motion," said Bay Harbor Islands City Manager Ronald Wasson.
None of the fifteen on board the boat got hurt.
READ: Part Of Drawbridge Crashes Down On Mega Yacht
The Fort Lauderdale yacht that reportedly charters for a quarter million dollars a week suffered considerable damage to its top deck.
The cause of the incident was mechanical failure but it could have been worse if it weren't for the bridge operator.
"Our bridge operator has been doing that for 20 years and has an impeccable record. He did a great job of not letting it go into a free fall," said Wasson.
The bridge tender was applying the breaks for dear life - absent that the plummeting East span could have cut the yacht in half.
The 60-year old bridge was due for a multi-million dollar repair job that was set to begin next month.
The bridge is open to regular vehicular traffic. All but the largest boats can still go through because half of the drawbridge span is still working.
Bay Harbor plans to have the entire bridge fully working by February, in time for the big Miami Boat Show.
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