A Brightline train struck and killed a pedestrian in Delray Beach early Friday, just minutes before the high-speed rail service’s maiden train left Miami for Orlando International Airport, as part of its long-planned expansion into Central Florida.
Delray Beach police received word of the incident shortly after 6:15 a.m., according to department spokesperson Ted White. It happened roughly a half mile south of downtown on the southbound rails at Southeast Second Avenue and Southeast Fourth Street. The train had just left the West Palm Beach station.
The person who died was not immediately identified by authorities. The accident had no impact on Brightline operations from Miami to Orlando.
Brightline removed the train that struck the pedestrian from the collision site shortly before 9 a.m., according to White. It had earlier put its passengers onto another train, which had left the area for Miami. You can check out a video clip of The Brightline train accident in a Tweet given below.
Just In: Fatality involving a #Brightline train and pedestrian along CopansRoad in #PompanoBeach pic.twitter.com/GeKJKAusfH
— RawNews1st (@Raw_News1st) May 31, 2022
It was unclear how many passengers were on board the Brightline train when it collided with the pedestrian. The railway did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.
This was at least the sixth pedestrian-Brightline train fatality in Palm Beach County this year, and the fourth in Delray Beach. Two persons were killed on February 8 and another on June 5. Other fatalities occurred on January 21 in Boca Raton and on May 12 in Lake Worth Beach.
According to Palm Beach Post records, Friday’s crash was the 28th fatality involving a Brightline train in Palm Beach County overall. The first occurred during a train test run in 2017, with the rest occurring since the firm began passenger service in January 2018.
According to the Associated Press, there have been 98 deaths between Miami and West Palm Beach since passenger service began. The figure is based on the news organization’s ongoing study of government train crash data since 2019.
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Brightline operates on FEC Railway tracks in Palm Beach County, which has few obstacles for pedestrians walking along or crossing. According to Brightline officials, the fatalities have involved either pedestrians walking on the rails or automobiles attempting to beat trains.
The railroad and local governments have initiated a number of initiatives to advise individuals walking or driving near the tracks to be cautious of trains.
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