A mangled and split Delray Beach fire truck lies along downtown railroad tracks after being struck near Atlantic Avenue by a Brightline train on Dec. 28. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
By John Pacenti
In a dramatic collision that made national headlines, a Delray Beach Fire Rescue truck driving through a railroad crossing — despite the lowered gates — was struck by a Brightline train.
There were more questions than answers following the Dec. 28 crash at the Florida East Coast Railway crossing at Southeast First Street, a block south of busy East Atlantic Avenue. Three firefighters and a dozen train passengers were sent to the hospital.
“On behalf of Delray Beach Fire Rescue, our thoughts are with the passengers, Brightline team members, and everyone affected by this incident,” Fire Chief Ronald Martin said in a statement to the public released on Dec. 31.
“We are thankful there were no fatalities and remain committed to working diligently to implement improvements to prevent future incidents.”
Martin — who was just hired in October — said he intended to use the crash as a “turning point” for a department that has had a series of controversies, including a fire rescue officer mistakenly declaring a senior citizen dead and the firing of its last chief in May for mishandling resources — a move that has resulted in litigation.
But the act of maneuvering an aerial ladder fire truck — four times the length of an average vehicle — around lowered railroad gates was especially startling. The collision occurred at 10:45 a.m., leading to a daylong traffic backup downtown. Both Southeast First Street and Atlantic Avenue near the FEC tracks were blocked to traffic for hours.
Delray Beach spokeswoman Gina Carter said all three firefighters were still in the hospital on Dec. 30.
Delray Beach Fire Rescue leadership is working with investigators from the Police Department, Brightline, and the National Transportation Safety Board as they determine the facts of the events, Martin said.
He has asked Human Resources to assign an investigator, as well.
Brightline released its video of the collision the same day as the crash, and CNN and other media took the story national.
The truck was heading east toward Federal Highway but there has been no official word about where the crew was heading.
The video showed a southbound freight train had just cleared the crossing before the driver of the fire truck tried to work his way around the still-closed gates, where the oncoming Brightline train plowed into it. The fire truck was blasted into three pieces.
The train’s engine showed significant damage, as well, with a shattered windshield and a large hole left in the front’s center. It appeared the engineer had to use the escape hatch.
The replacement cost with a similar type of truck is $2.3 million, according to a separate email obtained by The Coastal Star on Dec. 31 from Martin to commissioners.
The chief, however, recommended purchasing a smaller replacement with a 75-foot aerial device for $1.365 million.
The total costs of the crash to taxpayers remain unknown — such as any pending litigation or equipment carried aboard the truck needing to be replaced. Martin said insurance costs would go up because of the crash.
There is also going to be accountability, he said.
“Once causation is established, and if that causation demonstrates that there is a lack of regard for the safety of the public and disregard for public trust, I will be bringing forward the appropriate level of disciplinary action for your consideration,” Martin said.
All members involved in the crash were represented by the union, Martin told commissioners.
A request for an interview with Martin was pending at press time.
Delray Beach officials didn’t immediately respond on whether or how fire rescue service would be affected.
Questions remain about whether going around lowered gates was a matter of routine for the department or if some confusion unique to the railroad crossing occurred that morning en route to an emergency call.
The reality of the good fortune of no fatalities hit hard on Dec. 30 when Martin suspended the department’s ride-along Explorers program for city teenagers.
“Considering this weekend’s events, I would like to temporarily suspend all third-party ride-along and civilian observers, i.e. Explorers, until we have completed our investigation,” Martin wrote to City Manager Terrence Moore.
Martin said a student observer was riding with an uninvolved fire rescue unit on the day of the crash.
“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,” Martin said in his Dec. 31 statement.
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