A serious collision between a Brightline train and a car resulted in the hospitalization of one individual yesterday afternoon in Pompano Beach. The crash took place near West Atlantic Boulevard and North Dixie Highway, as confirmed by the Broward Sheriff's Office. The incident occurred roughly at 3:50 p.m., NBC Miami reported.
Witnesses on the scene described a chaotic aftermath wherein the car ended up overturned on the railroad tracks following the collision. The violence of the impact was evident as parts of the car, including the engine block and a tire, were forcefully dislodged, striking and breaking a window in the nearby City Commission Chambers building, WSVN detailed. The driver was extracted by Pompano Beach Fire Rescue and taken to Broward Health North with serious injuries.
As a result of the accident, the train passengers were briefly stalled, hearing announcements explaining the delay. "Once again, they’re assessing the train and the tracks to make sure we are able to proceed," the operator communicated, as per City of Pompano Beach footage shared by WSVN. The train resumed its service after the track evaluations were completed. Repair efforts on the impacted City Commission Chambers building have commenced.
Local authorities are looking into the root causes of this calamity, with both east and westbound lanes of Atlantic Boulevard temporarily closed following the mishap, they have since been reopened, Local 10 News informed.
Residents lament the frequency of such incidents. "I see this happen all the time. People come, they stop at the train, the train goes by, they get impatient, they don’t wait for the arms to go up. They try and cut around and unbeknownst to them, a train comes from the other direction and that’s when they get hit. I’ve seen that a couple times already," Lori Segal shared with WSVN.
