How many Brightline deaths have there been on the Treasure Coast? Where have they occurred?
There have been two Brightline fatalities on the Treasure Coast since the passenger railroad began service between Miami to Orlando last year.
The latest was Monday night, when a 29-year-old Wesley Alan Ducheneaux Walsh was struck and killed by a northbound Brightline train in Indian River County, the Sheriff's Office said. He was the second fatality in less than six months since the railroad began full operations Sept. 22.
The first was Sept. 28, 2023, when a 25-year-old man was killed north of Midway Road in St. Lucie County. The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said he was homeless and "may potentially have committed suicide."
TCPalm has compiled a database of all Brightline incidents since Sept. 22, when the railroad began running trains between Orlando International Airport and downtown Miami.
Train crash database: See Brightline incidents on the Treasure Coast
Where have Brightline deaths occurred on the Treasure Coast?
The two Brightline fatal accidents occurred in St. Lucie and Indian River counties, respectively.
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How fast do Brightline trains travel through the Treasure Coast?
Brightline trains travel up to 82 mph throughout the Treasure Coast, a TCPalm investigation found. This is slower than what Brightline has indicated in the past.
Brightline has said top speeds through the region would be 110 mph but 70 mph-80 mph through its downtowns.
TCPalm conducted its own speed checks of Brightline trains, using a radar gun, over several days in October. Here are the findings:
23-31 mph: 53rd Street in Gifford
32 mph: Confusion Corner in Stuart
34 mph: Stuart railroad bridge and Walton Road in Port St. Lucie
35 mph: Walton Road in Port St. Lucie
38 mph: Orange Avenue in Fort Pierce
40 mph: Sebastian Center
42-48 mph: Main Street in Sebastian
44 mph: Langford Park in Jensen Beach
45 mph: Oslo Road in Vero Beach
51 mph: Schumman Drive in Sebastian and County Road 707 in Rio
53 mph: American Icon Brewery in Vero Beach
58 mph: 77th Street in Wabasso
63 mph: St. Sebastian River railroad bridge in Roseland
64 mph: Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound
68 mph: St. Lucie Village in Fort Pierce
69 mph: Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce
70 mph: Midway Road in Fort Pierce and roundabout in downtown Jensen Beach
78 mph: 87th Street in Wabasso
79 mph: 20th Street in Vero Beach
82 mph: Monterey Road in Stuart
How many Brightline trains a day pass through the Treasure Coast?
Brightline has service between Miami and Orlando, 235 miles, with 32 trains daily through Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties.
When a Brightline station is built on the Treasure Coast — slated for completion in 2028 — there will be at least two northbound and southbound trains stopping at the station daily, according to a 2018 legal settlement.
Five proposals have been submitted to Brightline for a station in either St. Lucie or Martin county. Brightline's choice is to be announced by March.
TCPalm staff Corey Arwood, Laurie K. Blandford, Katie Delk, Ed Killer, Lindsey Leake and Cheryl Smith contributed to this report.
Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1429, or follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @gonthescene.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Database shows how many Brightline incidents have occurred on the Treasure Coast