Brightline train hits, kills person walking along track in Boynton Beach
BOYNTON BEACH — A Brightline train struck and killed a pedestrian early Tuesday, the high-speed rail line's third crash in the past week and the second deadly crash, city police said.
Police responded to the area of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and the FEC train tracks, north of Boynton Beach Boulevard and just west of Federal Highway, at about 7:50 a.m.
The pedestrian, who police did not identify Tuesday, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Tuesday's crash followed two on Thursday, one of them in Palm Beach County.
Early that morning, a Brightline train collided with a car near Lantana, injuring three people, according to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.
A few hours later that day, another train in Hallandale Beach crashed into a car that had been driven around traffic gates, killing two people, according to a Brightline spokeswoman.
Safety along the tracks has been an issue for Brightline since the high-speed rail line began service in 2018. There are few permanent barriers to its tracks, which have scores of vehicle crossings between West Palm Beach and downtown Miami.
More than 50 people have died in crashes involving Brightline trains in the rail line's history, many of them motorists, pedestrians or bicyclists who either misjudged the trains' speeds or ignored lowered gates, sounds or other warnings.
More: Brightline plans for Orlando expansion, Boca Raton station in 2022
In the months before it began operating, Brightline partnered with I Heart Radio to run public-service announcements on several local channels.
Brightline partnered with the Palm Beach County School District on a campaign designed to educate students and people near the Florida East Coast Railway corridor about railroad safety. The campaign included an educational flyer that was mailed to 42,000 families who live near Brightline’s route.
It also has posted electronic signs at rail crossings and stationed safety ambassadors at busy crossings to tell people to keep back. Brightline also distributed safety materials in Palm Beach County, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, and installed trees and fencing along the railway.
Watch for multiple trains at Brightline crossings
It also offers drivers, pedestrians and cyclists the following safety tips:
The train you see is closer and faster-moving than you think. The fastest move at speeds of up to 79 mph.
Be aware that trains cannot stop quickly.
Never drive around lowered gates. It's illegal and potentially deadly.
While waiting for a train to pass at a multiple-track crossing, watch out for a second train on the other tracks, approaching from either direction.
When you need to cross train tracks, go to a designated crossing, look both ways, and cross the tracks quickly, without stopping. Remember that it isn't safe to stop closer than 15 feet from a rail.
galbert@pbpost.com
@Gerard_Albert3
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Brightline train hits and kills person in Boynton Beach
