Video showing train crashing into car released as warning to drivers

LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — Brightline, a high-speed rail system in Florida, released video Wednesday showing a car deliberately driving around railroad gates and onto the tracks before being hit by a train. In the video, the gates are down when the driver clearly goes around them, and the train splits the driver’s car in two.

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The driver of the car, Luis Manuel Paez, 55, was taken to the hospital, but their condition was not released, WPEC reported.

In an email, Brightline said it was releasing the video “as an opportunity to educate the public on the dangers of driving around crossing gates.”

Wednesday’s incident in Lake Worth Beach was the third time in four days that a train has hit a car in Palm Beach County, Florida, WPTV reported. A Brightline train hit a car Tuesday morning in Delray Beach, WPTV reported. In that case, a mother and baby were able to escape before the car was hit. A third incident Sunday, also in Lake Worth Beach, killed one person, WPTV reported.

Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit focused on promoting rail safety and reducing crashes at crossing gates, has these safety tips:

· The train you see is closer and moving faster than you think.

· Trains cannot stop quickly.

· It is illegal to drive around lowered gates.

· Do not get trapped on the tracks; proceed through a crossing only if you are sure you can completely clear the crossing without stopping.

· If your vehicle stalls on the tracks, get out and get away from the tracks, even if you do not see a train.

· At a multiple track crossing, when waiting for a train to pass, watch out for a second train on the other tracks, approaching from either direction.

· When you cross railroad tracks, go to a designated crossing, look both ways, and cross quickly without stopping.

· Always expect a train.

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