Brightline train fatally strikes man in Indian River County; detectives investigate

Corey Arwood, Treasure Coast Newspapers
·2 min read

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY − Crime scene investigators walked along the railway Tuesday in south county, where a 29-year-old Vero Beach man died the night before after he was struck by a high-speed Brightline train.

He was the first person struck and killed by the passenger train in the county, sheriff's officials said. The train started traveling through the Treasure Coast Sept. 22.

Database: Brightline train crash incidents on Treasure Coast

Around noon Tuesday a northbound Brightline train slowed as it passed tracks near the 1900 and 2000 blocks of U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway, where forensic deputies walked alongside tracks lined by dense brush just north of Highland Drive Southeast.

Wesley Alan Ducheneaux Walsh, with a local address listed in the 400 block of 18th Street, was struck by a northbound train as he walked south along the tracks just before 10 p.m. Monday, according to the Indian River County Sheriff's Office.

An investigator walks the tracks as a Brightline train passes near the 1800 block of Old Dixie Highway SW where a man was hit by a Brightline train Monday evening.
An investigator walks the tracks as a Brightline train passes near the 1800 block of Old Dixie Highway SW where a man was hit by a Brightline train Monday evening.

"There is no suspicion of foul play," said agency spokesperson Sgt. Kevin Jaworski.

Detectives are waiting on toxicology results from the medical examiner to better determine Walsh's condition at the time of his death. The investigation is ongoing, Jaworski said.

Walsh was last seen Monday night around 9 p.m., according to agency records. Soon after, someone approached deputies gathered in the south county area and asked about Walsh, saying he had walked away following an argument with his girlfriend.

Investigators walk the tracks near the 1800 block of Old Dixie Highway SW where a man was hit by a Brightline train Monday evening.
Investigators walk the tracks near the 1800 block of Old Dixie Highway SW where a man was hit by a Brightline train Monday evening.

It's unclear from the redacted sheriff's report where Walsh walked from before making his way onto the railroad tracks.

The tracks and land around them are private property; no railroad crossings are nearby.

Jaworski said the engineer blew the train horn to warn the man and tried to stop the train, but could not stop before striking him.

By midnight, a backup train arrived and shuttled 61 Brightline passengers to Orlando, Jaworski said.

A man walking on the railroad tracks in south Indian River County Monday night Jan. 29, 2024, became the first person struck and killed by Brightline train in Indian River County, sheriff's officials said.
A man walking on the railroad tracks in south Indian River County Monday night Jan. 29, 2024, became the first person struck and killed by Brightline train in Indian River County, sheriff's officials said.

The death marks at least the sixth, including three in Brevard County earlier this month, involving a Brightline train since the company extended rail service from West Palm Beach to Orlando on Sept. 22.

On the Treasure Coast, a pedestrian died Sept. 28 in St. Lucie County north of Midway Road off South Indian River Drive. Then-Sheriff Ken Mascara identified the deceased as being homeless and noted “strong evidence to suggest that he may potentially have committed suicide in this incident.”

Brightline service between Miami and Orlando stretches 235 miles and has 32 trains passing through Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties daily.

TCPalm columnist Laurence Reisman contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Vero Beach man, 29, fatally struck by Brightline train