Delivery robot vs Brightline 🚆
🎥: trainwithgui/IG pic.twitter.com/psQvZqztlr
— Joel Franco (@OfficialJoelF) January 16, 2026
WASHINGTON — When a video went viral recently of a food-delivery robot being crushed by a Brightline train at a Miami grade crossing, most people viewed it as a source of one-liners. (“Looks like they ordered a smashburger,” one commenter said.)
One congressman saw it differently.
U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-Fla.), who represents a district at the west end of the state’s Panhandle, this week sent a letter to the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, Jennifer Homendy, calling for the NTSB to take action on the Jan. 15 incident and saying the incident raised “serious questions” about robots interacting with infrastructure.
“Given the rapid evolution of autonomous technologies, we must ensure that our transportation safety framework evolves as well,” Patronis said in a press release. “This incident highlights a gap in our understanding of how autonomous vehicles interact with railroad systems. It is important that we address these risks now before a more serious incident occurs.”
Patronis inquired about the status of an NTSB investigation into the incident and what recommendations the agency has developed, and asked a series of questions, among them:
- Did the incident trigger any of the NTSB’s reporting requirements?
- What investigative response, if any, is the NTSB pursuing or planning to pursue?
- Is the NTSB currently conducting a broader study of autonomous vehicles at railroad crossings?
The press release includes what is intended as a link to the full letter; the link is broken.
Trains has asked the NTSB if it is, in fact, investigating the incident and has any comment on the letter.
— To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.
Here is an answer – people use the food delivery services because they are too lazy to go to the restaurant/cafe.