A high-speed passenger train crashed into a firetruck at a rail crossing in Florida, leaving three firefighters and a dozen passengers injured on Saturday (Dec 28).

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The incident occurred at 10:45 am in the busy downtown area of Delray Beach. According to reports, the Brightline train was stopped, its front damaged, while the firetruck’s ladder was ripped off and landed several yards away in the grass.

In a social media post, the Delray Beach fire rescue said that three Delray Beach firefighters were taken to a hospital and are in stable condition. The Palm Beach county fire rescue took 12 passengers from the train to the hospital, who sustained minor injuries.

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According to an anonymous eyewitness, the firetruck had stopped at the crossing to wait for a freight train before driving around the lowered crossing arms.

Emmanuel Amaral, who was having breakfast a couple of blocks away, rushed to the scene after hearing the loud crash and screeching brakes of the train. He saw firefighters climbing out of the truck window and pulling away their injured colleagues from the tracks.

“The front of that train is completely smashed, and there was even some of the parts to the firetruck stuck in the front of the train, but it split the car right in half. It split the firetruck right in half, and the debris was everywhere,” Amaral said.

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The Federal Railroad Administration will conduct an investigation while the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is still enquiring about the crash and has not yet decided whether to investigate the matter.

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The NTSB is already investigating two accidents involving Brightline’s high-speed trains that happened this year at the same crossing in Florida that resulted in three deaths.

Over 100 people have lost their lives after being hit by the train since Brightline started its operation in July 2017. The railroad has the worst death rate in the country. While most deaths have been suicides, others involved pedestrians or drivers who ignored the crossing gates. In the previous accidents, Brightline has not been found to be at fault.

Railroad safety has been an ongoing concern, prompting Congress members to propose reforms. However, there have not been many major changes. Earlier in February 2023, a Norfolk Southern trained derailed in Ohio, spilling toxic chemicals that resulted in a fire. 

Earlier this month, a Union Pacific train collided with a semitrailer truck in West Texas, resulting in the deaths of two operators and leaving three others injured.

(With inputs from agencies)