Here's What A Train Sees When It Splits A Car In Two

A private train line cut a small car in two Wednesday morning after the driver maneuvered around the safety gate and into the path of an oncoming train in Lake Worth Beach, Florida. It’s the third such incident in four days for the rail line.

Brightline, a private train company running routes between Miami and West Palm Beach, asked people to please be more mindful of the huge train barreling down the tracks:

“This is a tragic reminder of the need to be safe around active railroad tracks,” Vanessa Alfonso, a spokeswoman for Brightline, wrote in a statement adding, “This behavior is incredibly dangerous, irresponsible and tragic.”

Alfonso also said the company “implores drivers and pedestrians to stay off train tracks.” The video, she said, shows the driver in Lake Worth Beach “deliberately” drove around the crossing gates.

The driver in this case was identified as Luis Maniel Paez of Miami, WPBF reports. Paez is in serious condition at a local hospital.

We’ve said it before, we will say it again (and again): It’s definitely not a good idea to mess with trains. They are bigger and faster than you and cannot stop immediately. You might think you can beat them across the tracks, but it very much is not worth the risk. Unfortunately, this isn’t the only crash Brightline has experienced this week. Tuesday saw two crashes, both in Broward County. A train killed a pedestrian in Hallandale Beach, Florida, and a car with a mother and child inside was hit in Delray Beach, Florida after becoming stranded on the tracks.

Last year 577 people were killed at train crossings, according to the Federal Railway Administration, with Florida being number two in the nation with 43 deaths. Whatever you’re doing Florida, knock it off, at least before Brightline puts in its latest connection in Orlando. The only state where more people died at train crossings was Texas at 51 deaths. It’s never good to be second to Texas in anything. You want to be a distant third, always.