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‘Poor thing’: video captures the moment train crushes stranded food delivery robot in Florida

Guillermo Dapelo, who recorded the video, said the robot remained stranded for an extended period before the collision.

3 min readNew DelhiJan 18, 2026 12:44 PM IST

The incident occurred on Thursday, January 15, when the robot malfunctioned while crossing the tracks (Image source: @FoxNews/X)

A food delivery robot was struck and destroyed by a train after getting stuck on railway tracks in South Florida, US. The incident occurred on Thursday, January 15, when the robot, operated by delivery company Coco, malfunctioned while crossing the tracks.

Guillermo Dapelo, who recorded the video, said the robot remained stranded for an extended period before the collision. “I was walking my dogs around 8 pm, and that’s when I saw the food car standing on the train tracks,” Dapelo told Fox 13 Tampa Bay, a TV channel.

According to Dapelo, an Uber Eats delivery worker noticed the robot and contacted the company to report the device’s location. However, before the issue could be resolved, a Brightline train approached and crushed the device.

Coco later acknowledged the incident, attributing it to an uncommon technical problem. “We are aware of the incident in Miami where a Coco robot experienced a rare hardware failure while crossing railroad tracks. Safety is always our top priority, which is why our robots operate at pedestrian speeds, yield to people, and are monitored in real time by human safety pilots,” the company said in a statement.

The company added, “While all hardware can experience unexpected failures from time to time, in this case, we’re grateful it was a Coco robot and not a vehicle. We’re reviewing the situation carefully to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

Watch here:

ORDER CANCELLED: A food delivery robot doesn’t stand a chance after stopping on the railroad tracks in Miami. pic.twitter.com/hzmvAUNeQe

— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 17, 2026

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With over a million views, the video amassed a wave of reactions. “imagine getting an alert on doordash that your order is approaching, and it never shows up,” an X user wrote. “That’s awful. He didn’t have a chance. Poor thing,” another user commented.

“The delivery tracking software should come with an HP meter,” a third user reacted.

Earlier this month, a video showed a Waymo self-driving taxi stopping on railway tracks in Phoenix, Arizona. It forced the on-board passenger to jump out as a train approached. The incident occurred in a construction zone where light rail tracks were added within the last year.