Brightline Train Crushes Car Trapped On Tracks

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL — A 9-1-1 dispatcher convinced a 65-year-old woman to get out of her silver Toyota hatchback moments before it was crushed by a higher speed Brightline train in Hallandale Beach. The incident happened on Wednesday morning along North Dixie Highway. The car had gotten stuck on the tracks, which run parallel to the road.

"Crews responded to Brightline train vs. unoccupied vehicle at Pembroke Road and N. Dixie Highway," according to Hallandale Beach police. "No reported injuries."

Hallandale Beach Fire Rescue Chief Mark Ellis told reporters at the scene that the crash could have been much worse if the driver hadn't dialed 9-1-1.

"She called 9-1-1, explained to them what happened, and in the process of that was literally on the phone with the dispatcher and saying that a train is coming," Ellis explained. "So, she got out of the car, left the car where it was, and of course the train hit the car."

The driver, 65-year-old Margarita Hall, told Local 10 News in Spanish that she made a wrong turn onto the tracks and got stuck.

"When I felt the car drop I knew something was wrong because it started to ride very rough," Hall told the television crew in Spanish.

Hallandale Beach police reported only minimal traffic delays as a result of the crash.

File photo courtesy Brightline