A Lakeland, FL man escaped serious injuries but received two citations Saturday after crashing his car into a train, the Polk County Sheriff's Office stated.
According to the Lakeland Ledger, Christopher Zazarine, 34, who lives on Magnolia Street, in Lakeland, FL, was cited for failure to obey a traffic control device and failure to obey a railroad signal.
The crash happened around 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the railroad crossing at U.S. 92 and Combee Road, in Lakeland, FL, Polk County Sheriff's spokeswoman Donna Wood stated.
Due to the nearby construction, the Amtrak train was only traveling about 30 miles per hour when Zazarine sped his 2008 Dodge Charger around a line of cars, past the crossing arm and into the train.
Zazarine complained of chest and head pain and was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, in Lakeland, FL. The crash site was cleaned up within an hour and the train and its 300 passengers continued on its way, Wood stated.
If the train had not been passing through a construction zone, Wood stated it would have been traveling about 70 miles per hour, and the crash would have produced very different results.
"Even though he's going to end up with two citations, it's his lucky day," Wood stated.
According to the crashstuff.com, Train accidents happen for many reasons. Every 115 minutes, either a person or vehicle is hit by a train. Nearly half of all collisions at railroad crossings occur where automatic warning devices such as flashing lights or flashing lights with gates are present and are functioning properly. Many people believe they will hear an oncoming train or that a train will be able to stop in time; however, if a 150-car freight train is traveling 50 miles per hour, it will take over a mile to stop.
Rivas Law Group is a personal injury law firm which handles automobile accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents and train accidents in Polk County, FL. Attorney Tania L. Rivas is dedicated to representing injured victims in Polk County, FL. If you or a loved one has been injured, contact Attorney Rivas today for your free legal consultation at 877.299.5539. Our office is located in downtown Winter Haven, FL.
