FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: October 12, 2022                                                 TIME: 5:22 p.m.

PIO #22-10-1                                                                 WPBPD Case #2022-0015983

A car that drove onto the railroad tracks in the 500 block of Fern Street Wednesday was struck by a train, killing the woman driving the car.

Just before 5:30 p.m. October 12, Harreen Bertisch, 76, of Palm Beach Gardens, was driving a Honda CRV west on Fern Street from Quadrille Boulevard and was stopped on the tracks when the railroad crossing gate arms lowered. The northbound freight train, about two miles long with 175 cars, was traveling around 40 miles per hour when it struck the Honda, critically injuring Bertisch. The West Palm Beach Fire Department took the driver to St. Mary’s Medical Center where she died.

The train’s emergency brakes and horns were activated about 1,000 feet prior to impact, according to traffic homicide investigators. Investigators have also confirmed that all crossing gates and warning signals were functioning at the time of the crash.     

This release by:

Mike Jachles/PIO

10/14/22 1300