Gardens woman, 76, dies in train-car crash in West Palm; stalled railcars halted east-west traffic

Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post
·2 min read

WEST PALM BEACH — A 76-year-old Palm Beach Gardens woman has died from injuries she sustained when a freight train struck her SUV on Wednesday evening in West Palm Beach, city police said Friday.

West Palm Beach Fire Rescue drove Harreen Bertisch to St. Mary's Medical Center, where she died following the wreck on Fern Street, just north of The Square retail and dining complex.

The crash took place just after 5:30 p.m. Bertisch was westbound on Fern near Quadrille Boulevard in a Honda CRV and had stopped on the tracks when the railroad crossing gate arms lowered, police said.

A northbound freight train, about 2 miles long with 175 cars, was traveling at about 40 mph when it struck the Honda, critically injuring Bertisch.

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Train personnel had activated emergency brakes and horns about 1,000 feet before the crash, according to city traffic homicide investigators. Investigators also confirmed that all crossing gates and warning signals were functioning at the time of the wreck.

Attempts to reach the Florida East Coast Railway, which owns the tracks and runs freight trains along them, for comment Thursday were unsuccessful.

The crash backed traffic up for about 2 miles along Dixie Highway, from south of Belvedere Road nearly to Third Street downtown, as the train lay stopped on the tracks and cars could not cross east-west roads.

Railways nationwide have begun to rely on longer trains for efficiency. Those that arrive during busy commuter times run the risk of blocking vehicle traffic for extended periods. Riviera Beach officials spoke out about the problem this year and said they are working with the railway on solutions in their city.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Woman dies after car, train crash in downtown West Palm Beach