4 hurt after Amtrak stalls in Florida — stranding passengers for hours, officials say
A stalled Amtrak train headed to South Florida turned infernal when high temperatures aboard sent four passengers to the hospital for “heat-related issues.”
The Floridian 41 was en route to Miami from Chicago and carrying over 200 travelers when it “became disabled and lost head-end power” at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, said Beth Toll, Amtrak’s southeast region spokesperson.
The train stopped just north of Hilliard in Nassau County while on its the 47-hour-long journey, which stops in cities like Jacksonville and Savannah. A mechanical issue with the engine caused the breakdown, Toll noted.
Nassau County Fire Rescue responded to the overheated passengers and treated 16 people at the tracks, confirmed the agency’s spokesperson Sabrina Robertson. Of the four that were later hospitalized — two children, two adults — all remain in stable condition.
Others aboard included boy and girl troops of Scouts America, 50 who were returning to South Florida from a North Carolina trip, reports Local 10.
Videos of the incident posted on social media show a swarm of first responders stationed along the tracks near Hilliard’s Yellow Rose Lane, where the train broke down.
TikTok user Mike Brandt, who goes by redneck_shaggy on the app, shared that temperatures “got to 120° in the cars,” and that paramedics notified Amtrak that the passengers “were in dangerous conditions.”
Town of Hilliard’s Facbook account praised “The collaboration and professionalism displayed by everyone,” alongside a clip of police and fire rescue teams at the tracks, crediting agencies like Nassau County’s sheriff’s office, emergency management department and mutual aid partners from neighboring Georgia for the rescue effort.
Trucks of water and ice courtesy of Nassau County Fire Rescue kept passengers cool during the 5-hour wait, reported Jacksonville’s WJXT. Those whose southbound trips were cut short could opt for alternative bus travel provided by Amtrak, which passengers boarded around 3:45 p.m.
All customers aboard the Floridian 41 will receive “refunds in full, as well as vouchers for their travel,” the railroad company told the Miami Herald in a statement.
