Driver in Critical Condition After Kissimmee Freight Train Collision

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on February 19, 2020

Police in Kissimmee are working on an investigation into a crash that took place between a train and a car on the morning of Monday, February 17th. According to reports from this law enforcement agency, the incident took place sometime before 9:00 in the morning, after a car stopped while straddling the train tracks used by both the SunRail transit service and trains hauling freight.

While the information around the crash remains somewhat murky, we do know that the driver of the car had traveled to the intersection of Penfield Street and Clyde Avenue when they began to cross the tracks. At this time, the driver failed to continue over the tracks and instead stopped while still within the path of any oncoming train.

It is not clear for how long the driver was on the tracks before a freight train passed through the area and crashed into the stopped vehicle. Perhaps due to the speed of the freight train as well as the difficulty in stopping such a massive machine, the car was dragged for several blocks, traveling all the way to the intersection of South Beaumont Avenue and Patrick Street, before the driver of the train was able to stop and emergency assistance was able to reach the mangled vehicle.

Emergency response crews were called to the area and rushed to treat the driver of the car. Two employees of the freight hauling company were aboard the train at the time of the crash, but the reports indicated that neither individual was injured as a result of the collision. The driver of the car, however, was injured in the crash and the emergency response crews treated them as best as they could at the scene before transporting them to Osceola Regional Medical Center. The reports indicated that shortly after arriving at ORMC the driver was taken into surgery. By the afternoon on Monday the driver remained in critical condition.

Traffic in the area was delayed for several hours while the initial investigation into the accident was conducted. Because SunRail trains share the tracks with the freight trains, commuters on the public transit system were forced to find alternative routes.

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.