Woman Killed In Boston Drawbridge Accident

Boston police say a woman was killed after the drawbridge she was walking on started to go up.

Investigators are calling the death on the Meridian Street Bridge just after noon on Tuesday an accident.

The victim was not immediately identified.

Police said the bridge operator was not aware that the woman was on the drawbridge when it was raised to allow a boat to pass below. The bridge operator heard a scream and immediately lowered the bridge, but the woman then became trapped between the bridge plates and suffered massive trauma. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the distraught bridge operator was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

The bridge spanning the Chelsea River between East Boston and Chelsea was closed for several hours after the incident.