DOVER, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is currently investigating a car vs. train crash that happened just after noon at Sydney Dover Road along Martin Luther King Boulevard E.
According to a spokesperson from Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, the Amtrak passenger train was heading westbound into Tampa.
One person was in the car on the train tracks at a marked crossing while the train was coming and was hit, the spokesperson reports. They died from the crash.
No one from inside the train was injured, according to the spokesperson.
While no information was released regarding why the car was on the tracks, railroad experts explained a lot of times people ignore the safety warnings.
"For whatever reason, the gates go down and people don’t want to wait for the train, it’s slower speed in that area for the train, people become impatient and they try to beat the train," Michael Callanan said.
Callanan was a train conductor for 11 years, nine of those with Amtrak.
"With my railroad career, we’ve been involved in several fatalities," Callanan added.
Unfortunately, accidents happen and Callanan explained most can be prevented.
"Don’t go around the gates because a train could be coming any direction, any time, any speed. Even if you think there’s no train there," Callanan stressed.
Callanan recalled incidents where a car stalls out on the tracks. If that happens, he said it's safest to get out.
"If your car gets stuck on the tracks, get out of the car, it’s not worth your life," Callanan explained.
10 Tampa Bay reached out to Amtrak and law enforcement to see why the car in Dover was on the tracks.
Updates to come when more information is available.