MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) – Two Martin County deputies were responding to a burglary in progress when their vehicle got stuck on the tracks. While one managed to get his car through, the other’s vehicle was struck by a freight train.
Video from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office showcased the moment a deputy’s car became stuck on the tracks as a freight train approached the railroad crossing.
“One of the deputies was able to thread through those arms, and the second deputy was able to thread through the arms as some of the gates were up and some of the gates were down but was stopped from going all the way through because a secondary set of gates came down,” said Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek.
Seconds later, the train, going north, struck the back of the deputy’s car, causing significant damage. According to Sheriff Budensiek, the deputy is fortunately OK.
“This is an opportunity to have a good reminder without a funeral,” he said.
The deputy, however, may face disciplinary action for going around the crossing arms.
“There’s likely a policy violation in this incident, and again, we’re doing an internal review,” said Sheriff Budensiek. “I’ve looked at the video; the deputies are clearly at fault in this, and we’ll take care of the administrative side once we get all the facts.”
The other deputy made it to respond to the burglary call; however, it ended up being a mental health case.
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