Brightline says fire-rescue truck at fault in Delray Beach crash that injured at least 15 | Video
Brightline says a Delray Beach Fire-Rescue truck was at fault in a Saturday crash involving one of its trains that injured at least 15 people.
The high-speed rail operator posted a video on social media Saturday evening showing the moments leading up to the direct-impact crash.
“Video shows gates down and truck traveling west to east. The truck is in the wrong lane, driving around cars that are stopped at the lowered gate,” a Brightline spokesman said in an email to the Sun Sentinel, with a link to the video.
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
A statement attributed to the Brightline safety and security team said, “Railroad safety is a community-wide effort. For everyone’s safety, never drive around crossing gates when they are down.”
Delray Beach police are investigating the crash with the National Transportation Safety Board. Ted White, a spokesman for Delray Beach’s police and fire-rescue departments, declined to provide any new details or respond to Brightline’s statement, saying the case is still under investigation.
Three firefighters and 12 train passengers were hospitalized after a Brightline train crashed with a fire truck in crowded downtown Delray Beach about 10:45 a.m. Saturday near the intersection of East Atlantic Avenue and Railroad Avenue, city officials said.
Two of the firefighters were transported as trauma alerts in serious condition, according to Delray Beach Fire Rescue Chief Ronald Martin, who had just arrived at the scene of the crash from Delray Medical Center, where he had been visiting the firefighters. A third firefighter was also transported.
The two taken in serious condition are now stable but will “most likely have prolonged admission at the hospital,” Martin said.
Delray Beach Police Traffic Sgt. Matt Sarazeni, who is investigating the crash, said Saturday that all firefighters had been conscious at the hospital.
The Brightline passengers were hospitalized with minor injuries. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue assisted Delray Beach Fire Rescue in taking people to the hospital.
A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Officials are investigating a train crash with a fire truck in crowded downtown Delray Beach on Saturday, Dec. 28 2024. (Shira Moolten/Sun Sentinel)
A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
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A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)