Brightline train hits, kills man in Delray Beach; body found in no-trespassing area

Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post
·1 min read

DELRAY BEACH — A man died Tuesday morning after a Brightline train struck him in Delray Beach, police said.

Police did not immediately identify the man.

Officers responded at about 8:45 a.m. to a call at Southeast Eighth Street and Southeast First Avenue, north of Linton Boulevard. They found the man dead in an area that was marked as no trespassing, a police spokesman said.

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The man was walking across the tracks from west to east when a northbound train struck him, police said. Authorities kept the train at the scene for about 90 minutes before allowing it to continue.

The crash marked the 18th pedestrian or motorist death involving a Brightline train in Palm Beach County since the company opened for service in January 2018.

Brightline and the Florida Department of Transportation have applied for a federal grant to help pay for a $45 million project to reduce crashes along railroad crossings in seven Florida counties, including Palm Beach.

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Brightline and FDOT would each contribute $10 million, with the other $25 million coming from the federal grant. A decision on the federal funding is expected this month.

Officials from Brightline and FDOT estimate that planned safety improvements will save 95 lives and prevent 146 accidents over the next two decades.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Man dies after Brightline train hits him in Delray Beach