Barberville, FL – A 72-year-old Astor man gets a ticket after the Florida Highway Patrol says he drove his vehicle into the path of an Amtrak train filled with passengers.
No injuries were reported following the crash, which happened just before 7 AM Tuesday close to the intersection of State Road 40 and US 17 near Barberville.
FHP Sergeant Kim Montes says Andrew Nistico had just left a nearby post office going east on SR 40 when he approached the railroad tracks in a 2005 Ford 4-door car.
“The Amtrak train – carrying approximately 300 passengers – was traveling south on the tracks,” Montes added. “According to witnesses, [Nistico] traveled around the railroad crossing gates, which were in the down position.”
Troopers think the front of the train clipped the left front side of the Ford’s bumper, forcing the conductor to stop the train briefly.
Nistico was ticketed for going around the downed railroad crossing gates and troopers recommend that he be medically re-evaluated for driving, per Montes.
“He just could not explain how he made it onto the track,” Montes added. “If this vehicle had been across the track, we probably would’ve seen severe if not fatal injuries.”
The train – en route to Sanford – resumed its journey after workers deemed it safe enough to continue.
Neither alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash, per the FHP report.
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