Imagine driving over a soda can. How easily a vehicle can crush that can of soda. This is roughly the equivalent of the force a train traveling at 30 m.p.h. will hit a vehicle on the tracks. A majority of train versus car accidents occur at crossings where a driver attempts to beat the train across the tracks. It can take a train a mile to come to a complete stop. When it comes to these kinds of crashes, most of them occur within 5 to 25 miles of a person’s home. A motorist is about 20 times more likely to die or suffer from catastrophic injury in a collision with a train than a collision with another vehicle.
WPTV reports that police are investigating a fatal train crash involving a Virgin train and a vehicle.
The incident happened on Friday night. According to the West Palm Beach Police, the driver was killed after his vehicle was struck by an oncoming train. The driver apparently attempted to drive around the railroad crossing gate.
A black 2008 Corvette traveling west stopped for the train crossing at Avalon Road. A southbound train passed through the crossing and the guard arms remained down.
The driver of the Corvette attempted to navigate around the guard arms and cross the tracks. It was then struck by a northbound train. The driver of the Corvette suffered from fatal injuries in the collision.
Witnesses at nearby dining establishments said that they thought the noise from the collision was thunder.
The name of the driver has not been released out of respect for his family.
