Pedestrian killed in 5th fatal Brightline train incident since November
BOYNTON BEACH — A pedestrian was killed when he was hit by a Brightline train Tuesday morning in Boynton Beach, according to officials.
It’s the fifth fatal accident involving the high-speed commuter rail service since it resumed operations in November following a 19-month shutdown due to COVID.
Boynton Beach police received a call about 8 a.m. Tuesday in regard to the train hitting a pedestrian near the 500 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and the Florida East Coast Railway tracks.
The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Traffic hasn’t been affected. This is the second fatal accident involving a Brightline train in the last week.
On Thursday, a brother and sister were killed near Hallandale Beach and Aventura at the county line between Broward and Miami-Dade when their vehicle was hit by a Brightline train.
Officials said the man attempted to go around the railroad crossing gates, which were down.
Officials also said the lights were flashing and the bells were ringing at the railroad crossing.
Last month there were three fatal accidents involving Brightline trains.
A man who was walking on the tracks was killed in North Miami Beach on Dec. 7. Officials said the man didn’t move after the train sounded its horn.
A woman in her 70s was killed in Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 13.
Two days later a man stepped in front of a Brightline train in Hollywood in an apparent suicide.
None of the deaths have been blamed on Brightline’s equipment or crews. Many of the fatalities have been blamed on suicides, victims being mentally ill, intoxicated, or attempting to beat the train.
Brightline trains stop in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Miami. The trains can reach more than 125 mph in rural areas and more than 70 mph in densely populated areas.