Court employee struck, killed by Brightline train while trying to cross West Palm tracks

Hannah Phillips, Palm Beach Post
·1 min read
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Cities can use double gates to silence loud train noises at crossings.

WEST PALM BEACH — A 69-year-old employee at the Palm Beach County Courthouse was struck and killed by a Brightline train as he tried to run across the tracks, West Palm Beach police said.

Witnesses said a northbound train hit Gary Millar as he tried to cross the railroad tracks across from the downtown West Palm Beach courthouse on Tuesday, Dec. 19. Police spokesperson Mike Jachles said the railroad crossing gates and warning signals were functioning at the time of the collision.

The train, which had just left the downtown station, was traveling at 34 mph.

According to a state registry, Millar worked as a certified Spanish language interpreter. The West Palm Beach-area resident is one of at least 29 local motorists and pedestrians killed in collisions with the train since Brightline opened in 2018.

Harreen Bertisch, another familiar face among the county's legal community, died after a train struck her SUV in downtown West Palm Beach last year. The director of development for the Legal Aid Society was 76 years old.

Hannah Phillips covers criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism and subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Brightline train hits, kills county employee in West Palm Beach