DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — The fire chief in Delray Beach has pledged that the collision between one of the city’s fire trucks and a Brightline passenger train will be “a moment from which we will learn and grow.”
In a post today (Dec. 31, 2024) on the Delray Beach Fire Rescue Facebook page, Fire Chief Ronald Martin says the agency is “thankful there were no fatalities and remain committed to working diligently to implement future incidents. … This crash is a sobering reminder that emergency responders must always balance the urgency inherent in their work with caution, ensuring that the safety of our community remains our guiding principle.”
Fifteen people, including three firefighters, were injured Sunday, Dec. 28 when the Brightline train hit the fire truck at the Southeast First Street grade crossing in downtown Delray Beach [see “Fifteen injured in collision …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 28, 2024]. Video from the train’s forward-facing camera released by Brightline shows the fire truck driving around lowered crossing gates; witnesses had said the truck went around the gates after a Florida East Coast Railway freight train cleared the crossing.
Martin’s message says the department is “fully cooperating” with investigations by Delray Beach police, Brightline, and the National Transportation Safety Board. He also thanks those who assisted the three injured firefighters — two of which were initially reported in serious condition — and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue for its work after the incident. He did not provide any update on the condition of the firefighters; on Sunday, he had said the two most seriously injured were stable but facing long hospital stays.
Population density and the increased amount of vehicular traffic may account for increased accident frequency. The information we need is the number of accidents versus population density and amount of vehicular traffic. This will indicate the true nature of crossing accidents. What has not changed is human carelessness and situational awareness. We take our travel “rights”far too casually.
Could an illuminated warning sign be erected and linked to crossing signals: “Train Approaching”? Germany has passive ways to slow pedestrian crossings so that folks might have to think before crossing. People use too many earphones when outside.
There is anecdotal evidence about the Pennsy’s hi-speed Ft Wayne-Chicago “speedway.” T-1’s included.
“[A] moment from which we will learn and grow…” like, not sending a $1M+ ladder truck to do traffic control for a vehicle accident?
It’s apparently done in parts of Florida [and I expect other places] that an available fire department Truck Company can be dispatched for traffic accidents. I’ve personally seen tower/ladder trucks by themselves at various non-entrapment vehicle accidents in Broward county.
In my town, if you call an ambulance to your home it is always accompanied by a fire truck. Exactly why, I’m not quite sure. But this I am sure of, from experience: a very large bill will be sent to both you and your health insurer.
RON — In many states, EMS and fire are the same people. In many jurisdictions in Michigan (not including Detroit), EMS, fire AND POLICE are the same people. Just a question of what rig or squad car they’re driving at the given moment. Since most traffic crashes have the possibility of injury and/or fire, and since many traffic crashes have more than one injured party, it’s not at all unusual for a ladder truck to be first on scene.
When I was injured at Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, a ladder truck arrived, never an EMS unit. The firefighter determined I was ambulatory and the Habitat construction supervisor could drive me wherever I chose for care.
Ron,
Having been a FF, the reasons that an engine goes to a medical call is it may get there first and start life saving procedures sooner, the ambulance may be delayed, in an accident or coming from a point farther away.
They may need more than the 2 people on the rescue/ambulance.
Normally they only bill for what was done for the patient on scene and if transported for transport. You aren’t charged for the vehicles or number of personnel. If you just had an ambulance show up the charges would be the same.
When the department I was with didn’t transport we were dispatched along with the ambulance company, sometimes the ambulance was coming from the next town over because the one in our town was on another call. I know there were times that lives were saved because life saving intervention was started by the fire truck crew prior to the ambulances arrival.
Just to put one thing straight. The speed limit for passenger trains through Delray Beach on the FEC is the normal US Class Four 79mph. North of West Palm it climbs to 110mph and finally on the entirely new alignment into the Orlando terminal to 125mph. The FEC is NOT HSR between Miami and West Palm Beach and is “Higher Speed” conventional rail to the Orlando Jct near Coco Beach. Only the final 125mph sprint to Orlando is on the margins of true HSR. This is why “Murder Train” is neither amusing, fair, or accurate.
Reports said the Brightline train was at 68mph when the emergency braking system was activated.
Police need to cite the driver of the fire truck for evading the crossing gates. Otherwise, stop issuing tickets entirely.
Also, City of Delray Beach needs to be on the hook for repairs to the train and injuries to the customers of Brightline.
Out in central Wisconsin by Camp McCoy and other military bases up to and during WW2, the Milwaukee still ran 100mph+. There exist photos showing warning signs posted about those speeds.
Having lived in S. Fla. back in the early 1980’s, prior to all the passenger service growth, I can attest that the FEC and old ACL ROW’s were hardly accident free. But “murder train” is a misnomer. The root cause of grade crossing accidents is the public’s ignorance of “stop, look and listen” due to the rail’s diminished impact on popular culture. Over time Brightline’s dangerous presence will become less so. One thing to do is have bollards rise in all lanes before the gates. Drive around those….
Curtis – Being especially drawn to all things PRR since about WWII, I have often wondered about all the anecdotal evidence of T1’s operating way, way over 100mph, and no stories told of horrific grade crossing collisions. I agree with your theory.
Maybe the X trolls can stop calling Brightline the “murder train”. But it seems the stats don’t lie, Brightline has more incidents per track mile between Cocoa and Miami than any other rail line. I am not saying its their fault, but I am trying to understand how a company who goes out of their way to advertise and promote safety can get such a bad rap due to others negligence.
Can I be the grinch that steals New Year? FEC is not suitable for HSR and Brightline actually is a murder train. Of course trains have the right-of-way and of course every Florida resident (of any/all ages) needs one big and continuing dollop of Operation Lifesaver. That being said, HSR needs grade separation. Whch is impossible on the Florida coast.
A memory I have of HSR (125 mph, something like that) in England was the train passing a level crossing. Took me by surprise. It was in a rural area. Certianly not in a city.
Pretty strong statement Mr. Landey.
“the killing of one person by another that is not legally justified or excusable, usually distinguished from the crime of manslaughter by the element of malice aforethought.”
Charles Landey: To my best understanding the track where Brightline is authorized HSR operations is totally grade separated. Looked back at the articles on this crash and haven’t found the speed of the train, speed limits for the Delray area. Union Pacific is clear for 70 MPH through the local area East of San Antonio (I assume this is for AMTRAK and the freight speed limit is lower).
Through densely populated areas Brightline is going 79 MPH or slower in most cases. The bulk of the accidents since starting have been people deciding to take a stroll in front of the train or going around gates, including stopping on the tracks in at least one case. Can’t be a “murder train” when the deceased caused their own demise. Even as they up the miles with fencing and double gate crossings people will always find a way to stupidity.
Charles Landy, I am going to assume that because your message was at 3:50 am that your brain was asleep.
Actually the only part of bright line that is classed High Speed is from Cocoa to Orlando which is 125 MPH and grade separated. FRA requires grade separation from 125MPH and above.
The part north of West Palm to Cocoa is Higher speed rail with speeds up to 110 MPH. per FRA grade separation not required. Amtrak runs those speeds on other parts of the country without grade separation.
West Palm south, including Delray, is 79 MPH the same as Amtrak and Tri-Rail, normal passenger train speeds.
Grade separation is possible, just make all the municipalities remove the grade crossings that they forced on the railroad and make them either overhead bridges or under passes at the municipalities expense. Then the problem would be solved. If the wasn’t in place prior to the railroad then the crossing needs to be removed, which means there would be very few crossings.
If bright line was enticing people to get in front of the train to kill them or swerved off the tracks to get them I’d say you are right that it is a murder train. But of course that isn’t what happens, people in their ignorance or desire to die either drive in front of or walk in front of the trains, not the trains fault. People that call it the murder train are either against the train or don’t look at the train miles traveled to accident ration plus density to come up with a proper figure, they just go by track miles.
I’m glad the facilities are OK.
On second thought- “committed to working diligently to implement future incidents” maybe they can do better.
I believe it’s a typo in the Trains article. It should read “thankful there were no fatalities…”. I’m thankful, too.
From the Delray Beach Fire Rescue Facebook page using “cut” and “paste”
“We are thankful there were no fatalities and remain committed to working diligently to implement improvements to prevent future incidents.”
Not sure how Trains mangled the fire chief’s post. Must have been with the help of AI.
As to “murder trains” it is not like Brightline trains go out looking for unsuspecting vehicles to ram in the same way that tornadoes go hunting for trailer parks.