Train operator Brightline has released dramatic footage showing a train slamming into a car at a crossing in Florida.
The incident took place in Lake Worth Beach, north of Miami on Wednesday morning. Driver Luis Manuel Paez, 55, can be seen in the video, which is filmed from the point of view of the train conductor’s cabin, driving his car around the crossing gates, which were down as the train was about to pass. Warning lights at the scene were flashing at the time of the crash.
The car was cut in half and the driver was taken to hospital with “incapacitating injuries”, according to Palm Beach Fire and Rescue.
“We are releasing this video as an opportunity to educate the public on the dangers of driving around crossing gates,” Brightline said in a statement. “We ask our partners and members of the community to share this video as an example of the dangers of disobeying rail crossings to educate motorists and pedestrians in an effort to prevent future trespassing.”
The crash that took place around 6.30am was the third train crash for the operator in just four days in Palm Beach County, WPTV reported.
The 1999 Honda Civic can be seen in the footage also driving around another car, which has stopped at the crossing.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said in a crash report that Mr Paez “impatiently, and illegally, drove around the stopped traffic ahead and around the safety gates”.
The senior vice president for Brightline corporate affairs, Ben Porritt, told reporters on Wednesday that “what makes these events so tragic is that they’re preventable”.
Mr Paez made a “dangerous choice” when he drove around the gates and put his “life at risk”, Mr Porritt said.
“The gates were already down because there was a freight train in the area and a Brightline train in the area. They look left, went around a car, went around a gate, and that’s when the incident occurred,” Mr Porritt said.
“Obey all signs and warnings. Obey the crossing arms if they’re down. Obey the lights,” he added. “Recognize that this is an active railroad track. Trains can come in both directions. And you have to always be on alert that a train can be in the area.”
