A Brightline train collided with a fire truck at East Atlantic Avenue and Southeast First Avenue in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. Photo by [Mike Stocker/ Tribune Content Agency LLC]
A Brightline train collided with a fire truck in downtown Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 28, injuring three firefighters and several passengers.
The incident occurred near East Atlantic and Southeast First avenues, a bustling area filled with shops and restaurants. The crash overturned the fire truck, with its ladder detached and lying several yards away. The front of the train sustained significant damage and came to a halt approximately a block from the crash site.
Delray Beach police and firefighters and Palm Beach County firefighters responded. The injured firefighters were taken to a hospital. Train passengers, including those who suffered minor injuries, were transferred to another train shortly after the collision.
The cause of the collision is under investigation. Authorities have not disclosed the fire truck’s destination or the circumstances leading to the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board is gathering information to determine whether to conduct a formal investigation.
Brightline has been involved in a series of accidents since the service began operations in July 2017. More than 100 fatalities are associated with Brightline, which has the highest death rate among the nation’s railroads. Rather than fault Brightline, however, investigations have typically attributed the deaths to factors such as suicides, pedestrians attempting to cross tracks ahead of trains, and drivers circumventing crossing gates.
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