What self-respecting purveyor of speed and danger hasn't had visions of jumping a drawbridge as it opens? Heck, last year we even saw someone jump a bridge in Florida. Ironically, this new video also comes from a drawbridge in Florida, but this isn't a dream. It's a nightmare.

Fortunately, the driver of this Honda Accord apparently escaped without injury. We say apparently because the driver didn't stick around after the harrowing incident, according to a report from WPTV in West Palm Beach. The news outlet is conducting an investigation on bridge incidents and obtained the above video through a public records request, showcasing the near-disaster for this driver.

It actually happened in late October 2021 on the Ocean Avenue Bridge in Lantana, Florida. Video shows the Honda crossing the bridge, passing under the first gate just as it was closing. A bicycle is also seen on the bridge at the same time, and it passes by the security camera without incident.

Apparently, the gate for automobile traffic had closed on the other side and the driver stopped just before the hinged portion of the bridge. After approximately 30 seconds, the bridge opens with the car mostly on the span. The front tyres are on the bridge, but the fascia is on the fixed roadway. As a result, the tyres drop into the gap just a few seconds after the bridge starts rising, making escape impossible. Yikes.

Fortunately, the bridge pushed the car forward over the gap, and as it lowered, the driver got clear of the car. With the bridge back down (and the gate presumably up) the driver simply drove away. An alleged incident report from the bridge operator claimed they didn't see the car on the bridge until it was closing, and with the rear tyres below the span, they continued to lower the bridge. That incident report also claimed the car left the scene and didn't come back, and that apparently it was in a blind spot that somehow hid it from view through the large windows. Suffice it to say, the bridge operator was fired.

We suspect there was some damage to the nose of that Honda, but at least the driver was able to motor away. The WPTV investigation began due to an earlier incident involving a different bridge with another person who, sadly, wasn't so lucky. Stay safe out there everyone.