A drawbridge crashed onto the mast of superyacht Rockstar as she was being towed under it in Miami, Florida.
Newly released surveillance footage confirms that the bridge fell onto the superyacht, disputing some claims that Rockstar hit the bridge whilst under tow. Watch the footage on Local10.com.
As the video below shows, the bridge damaged the mast of the Rockstar extensively:
Assistant City Manager JC Jimenez says the tow company asked the bridge tender to raise both sides so it could pass. As Rockstar was moving through, the east side slipped and took out part of the superstructure as it hit her.
“The bridge was open, and the vessel was trying to make its way through,” says Jorge Pino, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Other reports suggested the Trinity yacht – previously called Blind Date - came into contact with the bridge, causing it to collapse. This theory has been disproved with the release of new surveillance footage.
“The brake definitely failed on the bridge,” confirms Ronald Wassen, Bay Harbour Village Town Mayor.
Owner Russell Weiner, Founder & CEO of Rockstar, says: “Thank God nobody got hurt. could have been a tragedy due to the city not maintaining this bridge correctly. A few seconds earlier and it could have hit and crushed the steering station where the captain and crew were.”
U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Mark Barney says there will be an investigation.
The superyacht had 15 crew on board, but luckily there were no injuries reported. The bridge, which is being tested to make sure locking system works, is due to undergo a $11.5 million repair to update it after the Florida Department of Transportation described it as “functionally obsolete”.