DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Editor's Note: The photo above is a generic image of a Brightline train.
A Florida woman and her infant were able to escape what would have been a deadly train crash on a Delray Beach railroad track.
The mother's quick, life-saving instinct comes at a time when deadly train crashes have become more prevalent in the state.
At around 6:30 a.m., Delray Beach police responded to a report of a Brightline train hitting a car near the 700 block of South Swinton Avenue. Officers arrived to find an extensively beat-up car, but there was no one inside.
Police believe that, before the crash, the driver of the car entered the railroad tracks from a dead-end street, which was a "non-railroad crossing." The woman, 28, exited the car with her 3-month-old baby and began knocking on doors of several homes nearby, "telling homeowners that someone was after her."
Police were able to make contact with the woman and confirmed that neither she nor the child was injured. The 28-year-old woman will undergo a mental health evaluation and police contacted the Department of Children and Families.
Adversely, a Palm Beach County man died Sunday afternoon from being struck by a high-speed train in Lake Worth.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office officials said a 48-year-old man attempted to drive around a flashing signal warning vehicles to stop when the Brightline train crashed into his car. He was later identified as Hidegalde Perez.
Officials said the Ford Fusion Perez was driving was punted into a metal fence and a power pole before landing on its passenger side.
The deadly crash is, at least, the seventh death involving Brightline since the railroad resumed operations late last year following a shutdown for much of the pandemic.
Brightline urges motorists and pedestrians to adhere to all safety rules and regulations and use caution when approaching railroad crossings.
