Oakland Park, FL : One person dead after train crashes into car in Oakland Park Friday afternoon, March 24, 2017

One person is dead after a northbound Amtrak train hit a car on the northbound railroad tracks at Oakland Park Boulevard Friday afternoon.

The crash happened just west of the Interstate 95 off-ramp around 1:10 p.m, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office. The department’s traffic homicide unit is on the scene.

Jonathan Ullman, who was on the Amtrak train at the time of the crash, said he saw the driver lose control of the car.

“I was sitting on the right window seat in the third car. I only saw the car hit the [railroad] crossing pole,” Ullman told the Miami Herald. “Other people told me they saw the driver trying to beat the train and that the train hit the car and it spun into the pole. There was some sort of long white paper, looked like toilet paper, blowing in the wind from the car.”

Because Tri-Rail uses the same train tracks, all services will be delayed for an indefinite period, said Tri-Rail spokeswoman Bonnie Arnold.

Passengers who need to get across the crash site will be bussed between the Cypress Creek and Fort Lauderdale stations. How major the delay will wind up remains uncertain.

“It depends how long it takes to clear the tracks,” Arnold said. “It could take a while. It might go into the early stages of the rush-hour.”

Details of the crash are still unclear. The victim has yet to be identified.

Amtrak passengers are still currently on the train about a half-mile from the intersection, Ullman said, “waiting patiently” as BSO investigates.

Source :
One person dead after train crashes into car in Oakland Park