PALM BEACH GARDENS — A Brightline train and a vehicle crashed Friday morning in Palm Beach Gardens, leaving the car’s driver with minor injuries, police said.
The wreck was the third in northern Palm Beach County involving Brightline since August and the second at Burns Road and Alternate A1A, just south of PGA Boulevard. The rail line uses the Florida East Coast Railway tracks near the Intracoastal Waterway, which has few natural barriers to keep people and vehicles away from them.
Officers responded to the collision shortly before noon. As of 1:20 pm., investigators had cleared the scene and the roadway was open, a police department spokesperson said.
Officials did not immediately identify the driver or say how fast the train was traveling when the collision happened. The vehicle sustained minor damage.
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Brightline crash comes soon after train hit fire truck in Delray Beach
Brightline trains have been involved in numerous crashes in the county, including more than 30 that have resulted in the deaths of pedestrians and motorists, since the rail line began service between Miami and West Palm Beach in 2018.
The railway and local state and local officials have spent millions of dollars on programs to warn people to stay off the tracks and to be aware of oncoming trains, including signs and electric signals at crossing.
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Last month, 15 people were injured in a crash that involved a Brightline train and a Delray Beach fire truck. Brightline posted a video that appeared to show a Delray Beach Fire-Rescue ladder truck driving around lowered crossing gates in the moments before the Dec. 28 collision.
Four Delray Beach Fire Rescue officials were placed on administrative leave and the crash has prompted multiple investigations, including inquiries by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
North county saw Brightline trains crash with two cars in August
North county was the two scene of Brightline crashes in August. Unlike Friday’s crash, both involved fatalities.
The first took place Aug. 8 at the Northlake Boulevard crossing. A 68-year-old North Palm Beach man drove under a train track’s lowered safety arm moments, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said.
Then on Aug. 26, a 77-year-old Palm Beach Gardens man died after his car crashed into a northbound Brightline train at Burns Road and Alternate A1A, city police said.
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Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Brightline train, car crash in Gardens; driver reports minor injuries