At least 15 injured as high-speed train crashes into fire truck
At least 15 people have been wounded after a high-speed train ploughed into a fire truck in Florida.
Three firefighters and a dozen rail passengers are among those injured in today’s crash in the town of Delray Beach on the southeast coast.
The first-responders were conscious when transported to an area hospital, and some media outlets have reported that two of them are now in critical condition.
Authorities confirmed that the passengers had only suffered minor injuries.
It is understood that the Brightline train slammed into the truck, pushing it onto its side on the East Atlantic Avenue tracks near SE 1st Avenue.
Pictures from the scene show the train stopped on the tracks, with its front all mangled.
The fire truck was left turned on its right side (Picture: Reuters)
A drone view shows the wreckage scene (Picture: Reuters)
Meanwhile, the truck’s ladder was ripped off and strewn in the grass just a few metres away.
Delray Beach police traffic sergeant Matt Saraceni could not immediately say what caused the crash or where the fire truck was heading.
A spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that agency is still gathering information about the crash and has not yet decided whether it will investigate.
The NTSB is already investigating two crashes involving Brightline’s high speed trains that killed three people at the same crossing early this year along the railroad’s route between Miami and Orlando.
It remains unclear how the collision happened (Picture: AP)
Delray Beach Police officers and Brighline personnel are seen at the scene (Picture: Reuters)
More than 100 people have died after being hit by trains since Brightline began operations in July 2017 — giving the railroad the worst death rate in the nation.
But most of those deaths have been either suicides, pedestrians who tried to run across the tracks ahead of the train or drivers who went around crossing gates instead of waiting for a train to pass.
Brightline has not been found to be at fault in those previous deaths.
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