Fourth person struck by train

A Brightline train has hit another person — its fourth since the express rail began service last month.

A man was struck in the 1200 block of Northeast 24th Street in Wilton Manors at about 7:45 p.m., said Officer Jennifer Bickhardt, spokeswoman for the Wilton Manors Police Department.

It’s not yet clear how the man came to be on the tracks.

He was taken to Broward Health Medical Center with what appeared to be a broken arm.

Debbie Sanacore, of West Palm Beach, who was traveling to Fort Lauderdale, said: “We saw a man being loaded onto a stretcher. He seemed OK and was speaking to the paramedics.”

She confirmed the victim was conscious and alert.

Sanacore, who has been riding Brightline frequently, added: “I love it. It’s been great. I don’t blame the train — it’s people. People need to be smart enough to look before they cross, especially when the gates are down.”

The train got underway again at 9:12 p.m.

Joe O’Gorman, who has a business nearby, said the train “whizzes by like a missile,” and he’s distressed at the lack of warning signs. “Do you see any warnings here telling people a missile is coming through here at 79 mph?” he asked.

“You’ve got to protect the residents. I’m a nervous wreck over this thing,” O’Gorman added.

On Jan. 17, a train killed Jeffrey D. King while he rode his bicycle in the 100 block of the Florida East Coast Railway tracks on Ocean Avenue. The arms were down on the gates, but police said the 51-year-old man tried to beat the approaching train. Less than a week earlier, Melissa Lavell, 32, was killed by a train in the 600 block of the FEC tracks. She ducked under the gates and was trying to cross the tracks when she was struck, officials said. And in Fort Lauderdale, Steven Amoruso, 55, survived after being struck by a Brightline train on Jan. 19.

Brightline, a service that opened to the general public Jan. 13, has said any measures taken by the company can’t succeed without the public’s cooperation.