Video shows car driving past a safety arm as it collides with Brightline train in Aventura
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A person bypassed a railroad safety arm and went against traffic as their car collided with a Brightline train in Aventura on Monday afternoon, security footage from a nearby business shows.
The unidentified driver was seriously hurt and transported to Aventura Hospital, according to Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Michael Kane.
At 3:11 p.m., emergency crews from multiple jurisdictions responded to a call about a collision between a vehicle and a train in the area of 21500 E. Dixie Hwy, which is sandwiched between Aventura and Hallandale Beach. When officers arrived, Aventura police spokesperson Det. Carlos Rivas said, they found a crashed 2008 Nissan near the train tracks.
First reported by Local 10 News, the surveillance video shows the driver of a gray Nissan go around a white SUV, bypassing a safety arm in the down position, and against traffic — before the train crashes into the front passenger side of the vehicle.
Authorities did not provide additional information.
Brightline did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Recent Brightline crashes
While this could be the first reported Brightline train collision of the month, it’s certainty not the first one this year.
Here are some of the latest Brightline crashes reported in South Florida:
- March 31: A man driving a tractor trailer hauling a car stopped on the train tracks in Wilton Manors. When the safety arms went down, he could not drive away and the vehicle was struck by a Brightline train, Local 10 News reported.
- March 26: A southbound Brightline train hit and killed a man in Lantana, making it the fifth Palm Beach County collision in two months, the Palm Beach Post wrote.
- March 18: A Brightline train slammed into a pickup truck, sending a person to the hospital. Video released by Brightline shows the pickup crossing into the tracks while the railroad safety gates were down.
March 12: A pedestrian was killed after he was hit by a Brightline train in Hollywood, NBC 6 reported.
This story was originally published April 4, 2022 at 10:22 PM.
