An Amtrak train slammed into a car that had stalled out with engine trouble near Powerline Road and Prospect Road in Oakland Park, sparking a fire that sent smoke billowing over the crossing. The driver suffered a head injury, according to her friends, but was not taken to the hospital. A family friend who had been riding in the car said he managed to get out just before the train struck.
As reported by WSVN 7News, the crash happened near the Powerline and Prospect intersection, according to officials. One witness described the chaos, saying the scene was “exploding” underneath the train. Cell phone video captured the aftermath, showing smoke rising from the wreckage as fire crews moved in.
Broward Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the scene and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash, per the station's report. Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue also responded, while Oakland Park Fire Rescue took one person from the train to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Deputies reported no major injuries from the collision itself, even as the vehicle fire sent smoke rising over the tracks.
A Family Friend's Close Call
A man and his son told the outlet that a family friend had been driving the car when it developed engine trouble on the tracks. The friend exited the vehicle before the train made impact and was not injured in the crash, per the same account. The driver, meanwhile, was hurt in the collision, according to her friends, though she avoided a hospital trip.
A Crossing With a Troubled History
This is not the first deadly brush with a train near this stretch of Oakland Park track. A pedestrian was struck and killed by a southbound Tri-Rail train at the same Powerline Road and Prospect Road intersection in May 2024, an incident that prompted Broward Sheriff's Office deputies to shut down the intersection for several hours during the homicide investigation, according to WSVN 7News. Just months ago, an empty southbound Tri-Rail train struck an SUV at the nearby West Oakland Park Boulevard crossing, killing the vehicle's male driver, as reported by CBS News; emergency crews needed several hours to extricate him from the mangled wreckage.
The corridor running through Oakland Park is part of the 81-mile South Florida Rail Corridor, which is owned by the Florida Department of Transportation and shared by Amtrak passenger routes, Tri-Rail commuter trains, and CSX Transportation freight trains, according to background compiled on Wikipedia. Amtrak runs its long-distance Silver Meteor and Silver Star routes along this same stretch of track connecting South Florida to the East Coast, per the Federal Railroad Administration.
What Drivers Are Supposed to Do When a Car Stalls on the Tracks
Florida law lays out strict rules for exactly this kind of scenario. Under Florida Statute § 316.1575, drivers approaching a crossing with active signals, lowered gates, or an oncoming train must stop between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail and cannot proceed until the tracks are clear, per Online Sunshine. A separate law, Florida Statute § 316.1576, prohibits drivers from crossing tracks at all unless they have enough clearance and room to make it across without stopping, according to FindLaw.
Every public crossing also carries a blue-and-white Emergency Notification System sign posted on the crossbuck listing an 800-number and a crossing ID, allowing a stranded driver to alert train dispatchers directly, according to Operation Lifesaver. Calling that number is described as the only direct way to reach rail dispatchers in time to halt an oncoming train before impact.
Florida's Rail Safety Reckoning
The Oakland Park crash lands amid a broader statewide push to address rail crossing dangers. Days earlier, on August 19, the Florida Department of Transportation received $456 million — $356 million in Federal Railroad Administration grant funding plus $100 million in state funds — to install physical barriers, LED signage, and signal safety upgrades at more than 900 passenger rail crossings statewide, according to WTSP-TV. The funding is slated to fund double-gate installations and overhead signals specifically meant to deter vehicles from getting trapped on the tracks.
The stakes are significant. A multi-year Federal Railroad Administration dataset found Florida ranked sixth nationally for railroad grade crossing accidents, recording 462 crossing collisions between 2014 and 2018, with 25 percent resulting in injuries and 16 percent in deaths. Hoodline previously reported on rail safety statistics showing that preliminary 2025 data put Florida fourth highest nationally for rail trespassing deaths, with 66 total casualties including 51 fatalities. A Florida Senate analysis cited in that reporting found that 88 percent of crossing incidents between 2013 and 2022 involved human factors like stopping on tracks or driving around gates.
For now, the Oakland Park crash stands out for what didn't happen. No serious injuries were reported, largely because the family friend and driver got clear of the car before the Amtrak train struck. Broward Sheriff's Office deputies continue investigating exactly how the car came to be stalled on the tracks in the first place.
