It only takes a moment to see how fragile our lives are.

“I have scars on all my arms, face and back,” said Crystal Maynard, a mother from Umatila, Florida.

Crystal Maynard and her husband Matthew Maynard said the moment came nearly three years ago when they crossed the North Causeway drawbridge in New Smyrna Beach.

“We sat waiting, and then they raised their hands, so I kind of climbed into the seat, looking into the water to see boats or big yachts,” Crystal Maynard said.

The Maynards said that even as cars drove by, the bridge opened.

“I follow the car across the bridge and the lights go out. The next thing you know, we’re bloody,” Matthew said.

The Maynards said their truck crashed to the side, climbing up.

“I got confused, confused, sat down and asked,‘ God, how did this happen? Why? Why? ”Crystal said.

She said in the back seat her 6-year-old daughter hit her head on the center console, causing her to get a concussion.

“The next morning blood came out of her tear ducts. It has turned black and blue, ”Krystal said.

“We owe three-quarters of a million dollars for the work we did,” Matthew said.

“I cried, cried and cried,” Crystal said.

The officer wrote in a traffic report that the bridge “suddenly rose about 8 inches off the ground due to a malfunction,” and that the worker told him about it.

“If you’re there servicing a bridge or working on it, why do you allow traffic through what’s obviously dangerous? If you’re working on it?” Said Crystal.

Fault or malfunction – it happened before.

In North Palm Beach, the cyclist grabbed the ground that rose beneath him.

“The bridge opened up with me at the top. I was taking off right in the air, ”the operator said on 911 in North Palm Beach.

“So you were holding on to the bridge when it opened?” The operator replied.

In Palm Beach County the driver’s car was hooked by a growing span.

In West Palm the bridge rose when Grandma rode her bicycle.

“She was in the middle of the bridge when the bridge started,” a witness said in a 911 call.

The woman died.

“Did she fall on cement or water?” The operator replied.

“I think it’s cement,” the witness replied.

Police said the tender not only lied about looking for people, but said it had never checked and tried to cover it up.

According to police reports, tenders for the bridge in the latter two cases have been occupied by Florida Drawbridges Inc.

The Florida Department of Transportation pays for Florida drawbridges to staff and operates 51 drawbridges in the state.

“If it turns out that the man was in flight when he opened up. There’s really no excuse not to see that man,” said Michael Johnston, a tender for the Volusia Bridge.

Being a tender for a bridge in Volus County, LB Knox’s Michael Johnston knows what tender procedure to follow.

Also making a tender for the Maser Bridge in Brevard County, Len McAlvage.

“We broadcast them on the radio and admit that they are there, on standby,” – said Mekolavazh.

“You just can’t take something for granted. You have to watch it every time. It’s a repetitive job,” Mekalavazh said.

County officials said they also have a recurring problem.

According to county officials, motorcyclists have more than once passed traffic to Daytona Beach.

On the Mathers Bridge the driver crashed into a car.

Some officials said it shows how subtle their protection is.

“It’s pretty scary, and it makes you know about your own bridge, your own responsibilities, and make sure your operating procedures are followed,” said Susan Jackson, assistant director of public works for Brevard County and head of the Roads and Bridges Program.

“But in the end, you can’t stop someone from doing something completely stupid,” said Ben Bartlett, director of public affairs for Volus County.

Some, like the Maynard family, have said security standards need to be raised.

“But we are not perfect. No one is perfect. We all fail someday, and leaving it at human error, I would not want to be the parent to lose my child because of someone else’s misfortune,” she said. Crystal.

Maynards argue that mistakes can go both ways.

“How many lives do they hold in their hands every day when they stand in this box?” Said Matthew.

Whether you’re riding, walking, or biking on a drawbridge, your life is one of them.

The WESH station sister turned to a lawyer for the company against which the Maynard family filed a lawsuit.

The lawyer said he and the company had no comment.

The Florida Department of Transportation declined to give a camera interview for the story.

An FDOT representative answered some questions via email.