DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – Three firefighters were among 15 people taken to the hospital after a Brightline train and a firetruck collided in Delray Beach on Saturday, according to officials.
The crash occurred around 10:45 a.m. near East Atlantic Avenue and Railroad Avenue, Delray Beach Fire Rescue said on social media, stating it involved a Brightline train and a ladder truck.
The hospitalized firefighters remained in stable condition as of Saturday afternoon, the post states, adding the 12 others were transported from the train and suffered minor injuries.
Delray Beach police, Brightline officials and the National Transportation Safety Board are currently investigating what caused the crash, according to the post. Palm Bay Fire Rescue assisted in taking the individuals from the train to the hospital, the post adds.
According to the Associated Press, a person familiar with the details of the crash, who was not authorized to disclose what happened because of the ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the fire truck stopped at the crossing and waited for a freight train to go by before maneuvering around the lowered crossing arms.
Video posted by Brightline on Saturday evening shows the train approaching the crossing and the firetruck slowly rolling across the tracks right before the video cuts off at the point of impact.
Brightline officials posted the message, “From the Brightline Safety and Security Team: Railroad safety is a community wide effort. For everyone’s safety, never drive around crossing gates when they are down.”
From the Brightline Safety and Security Team: Railroad safety is a community wide effort. For everyone’s safety, never drive around crossing gates when they are down. pic.twitter.com/6TSeHHOuyq
— Brightline (@GoBrightline) December 29, 2024
News 6 has learned that the train involved in the incident was heading north from Miami to Orlando.
More than 100 people have died after being hit by trains since Brightline began operations in July 2017 — giving the railroad the worst death rate in the nation. But most of those deaths have been either suicides, pedestrians who tried to run across the tracks ahead of the train or drivers who went around crossing gates instead of waiting for a train to pass. Brightline hasn’t been found to be at fault in those previous deaths.
The Federal Railroad Administration will investigate. A spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board said in the afternoon that it was still gathering information about the crash and had not decided yet whether to investigate.
Note: This map depicts the general area of this crash and not necessarily its exact location.
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