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Brightline train crashes into unoccupied SUV stuck on tracks
(Courtesy: @efrain_liveetho via WSVN)
NORTH MIAMI, Fla. - Terrifying video captured the harrowing moment when a Brightline train crashed into an unoccupied SUV that was stuck on the railroad tracks in South Florida on Thursday.
North Miami police said the vehicle was on the tracks between the lowered barrier arms as the train approached.
Cell phone video shared with WSVN showed the seconds prior to the impact where all of the doors of the SUV were open. Bystanders braced for the collision as the train's horn blared.
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"The occupants got out of the car safely and the car was unoccupied when the train struck the vehicle," police told WSVN. "No one was injured on the train or on the ground."
The crash took out the railroad crossing arms as well as the poles with the warning lights.
(Courtesy: WSVN)
Brightline's higher-speed trains have been involved in a number of crashes in South Florida, where they travel up to 79 mph through densely populated areas between Miami and West Palm Beach.
An ongoing AP analysis of federal data that began in 2019 shows Brightline trains strike someone about every 33,000 miles traveled. Meanwhile, TriRail, a commuter service that operates in the same area as Brightline, averages about one death every 115,000 miles.
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Brightline plans to begin service connecting West Palm Beach and Orlando in about a year. On that new segment, trains will reach speeds of 125 mph when they travel through less densely populated farmland. A similar project connecting Tampa and Orlando may be next. It also is developing a line that will connect Southern California and Las Vegas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.