Amtrak Train Crash Kills 43-Year-Old Female from Pierson

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on October 5, 2021

Authorities with the Florida Highway Patrol and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office have combined forces to investigate a deadly Amtrak train accident that claimed the life of a 43-year-old woman early Saturday morning along the tracks on Washington Avenue.

According to preliminary accident reports, it was just before 7:40 a.m. on October 2, 2021, when 43-year-old Rebecca Bird from Pierson was driving her Chrysler minivan in the vicinity of the Amtrak train tracks on Washington Avenue near Volusia Avenue. As she pulled her vehicle up to where the road meets the railway, the security arms started to fall into place and the warning lights began to illuminate and flash for the oncoming passenger train. For reasons that are currently unknown, she made the poor decision to bypass these safety measures by driving her minivan around the crossbars and into the direct path of a train which crashed into her vehicle at an incredibly high rate of speed.

Volusia County emergency response teams were immediately dispatched to the scene of the collision and upon their arrival, they quickly discovered that the 43-year-old Pierson resident had already succumbed to the life-threatening injuries sustained during the accident with the Amtrak train. She was declared dead shortly thereafter. Her pet dog was also in the minivan when the crash occurred and passed away as well.

Although auto accidents involving passenger trains are few and far between, this is the second time at this particular section of the tracks that an individual has been fatally injured. Almost seven years ago on November 7, 2014, first responders with the Florida Highway Patrol were called to the same intersection to address and assess another collision that claimed the life of a 40-year-old mother of two Laura Ann Bennett who died after a southbound Amtrak train crashed into her pickup truck.

Since 1977, Volusia County personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham has been compassionately representing victims who have been seriously injured or killed during an accident with another motorist, emergency vehicle, or large passenger train. If you would like to schedule a free 30-minute case evaluation, please submit your contact information through our website or call our office directly at 877-FL-INJURY.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.