Video shows driver nearly hit by train after ignoring gate

Credit: Lannis Waters/Palm Beach Post

Credit: Lannis Waters/Palm Beach Post

The video, which appears to have been taken with a camera in a nearby car, shows the incident happened Monday afternoon. It is unclear where it occurred.

Brightline’s passenger service operates between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale along the Florida East Coast Railway tracks.

The video shows the gates were down for several seconds before the driver of the white truck maneuvered around a stopped car and through the crossing gates.

“Look at this guy, look at him,” a woman can be heard saying as the truck pulls around the stopped car. “Unbelievable. Unbelievable!”

The train’s horn can be heard blaring in the distance. Just seconds after the truck cleared the tracks, Brightline’s train passed through the intersection.

It is illegal to go around railroad crossing gates.

Since Jan. 12, the day before the company began shuttling paying passengers, Brightline’s trains have hit three people. In all three incidents, police said those struck did not heed warning lights and crossing gates positioned at the intersections.

On Jan. 17, 51-year-old Jeffrey King was hit and killed by a northbound Brightline train when he pedaled his bicycle around the gates near the FEC crossing about 4:30 p.m. on Ocean Avenue.

On Jan. 12, 32-year-old Melissa Lavell was hit and killed near the intersection of Northeast Sixth Avenue in Boynton Beach. Witnesses told police she attempted to beat a train when the gates were down.

Steven Amoruso, 55, of Deerfield Beach survived being struck by a Brightline train on Jan. 19.

Brightline has launched an aggressive public awareness campaign urging people to stay off the tracks when the gates are down.

About the Author