US News

Mother crushed to death by Boston drawbridge

A mother from Boston was crushed to death by a drawbridge after an operator accidentally closed it on top of her on Tuesday.

Aura Garcia, 43, was crossing the Meridian Street Bridge in East Boston around noon, when the operator raised a bridge for a boat — trapping her between two plates, The Boston Globe reports.

Garcia grabbed a side of the bridge and screamed but the bridge closed on top of her, causing head trauma. She was pronounced dead at the scene, the paper reports.

“I couldn’t see her, but I could hear her,” said witness Waldina Garcia, who is not related to the victim.

“She was screaming and screaming and screaming,” she added.

Waldina spotted lights flashing and heard a loud foghorn, meant to warn passers-by the bridge was opening. It’s not clear if the victim started crossing the bridge after the alarm went off.

A gray hat fell from the top of the bridge and the victim’s screams lasted about a minute, witnesses said.

The operator told cops he did not see the victim on the bridge, according to the paper. He was later taken to the hospital for an evaluation, officials said.

The bridge connects Chelsea and East Boston and was closed to traffic during the investigation.

Garcia is a mother of two with a three-year-old and a 15-year-old.