The incident occurred around 10 a.m. near the intersection of Northeast 163rd Street and Biscayne Boulevard. A video captured on a bystander's dashcam and shared by WSVN shows a small black car appearing to drive under a railroad gate onto the tracks, where it's almost immediately struck by the fast-moving train.
The wrecked car makes a 180-degree turn and hits a railroad signal post on the opposite side of the tracks before coming to rest against the pole. The train appears to have hit the right-rear of the car.
"Whoa!" yells the bystander in the car.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said the driver, who is a man, was brought to a trauma center for treatment.WATCH: Dashcam video shows a vehicle colliding with a Brightline train in North Miami Beach. https://t.co/mrBflE2OOq pic.twitter.com/o3vuLG6vqc
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) January 8, 2025
Details about the incident remain unclear.
Dubbed the deadliest train per mile in America by the Associated Press, Brightline has killed dozens of people across South Florida in the years since its 2018 debut.
New Times has logged more than 50 pedestrian and motorist deaths caused by collisions with the company's trains since early 2022. Most of those fatal incidents involved pedestrians, some of whom police say committed suicide.
But the accidents don't always involve unassuming pedestrians. Late last year, the high-speed train collided with a Delray Beach Fire Rescue truck in downtown Delray Beach, injuring three firefighters and at least a dozen passengers onboard.
In August 2022, Brightline announced a $45 million federally funded project to construct at least 33 miles of "pedestrian protection features and supplemental safety measures."
The company vowed to upgrade its railway between Brevard and Miami-Dade counties, including fencing, better safety signage, and raised pavement markers.
In June 2023, Brightline said that it had made "crucial safety improvements" at all 156 railroad crossings along a 129-mile-corridor stretching from Cocoa to West Palm Beach. These upgrades include the installation of quad gates and medians in certain high-speed areas to prevent drivers from going around lowered gate arms.
This is a breaking story and will be updated as events warrant.
