Railway deaths: Brightline was deadliest in 2022; says safety ‘a shared responsibility’
CONTENT WARNING: This story discusses suicide. Help is available 24/7 at the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Brightline trains killed more people per mile in the U.S. last year and more people in Florida since its founding in 2017 than any other railroad company, a TCPalm analysis of federal data found.
The high-speed passenger rail service had one death every 24,433 miles in 2022, compared to the national average of one death every 590,614 miles for 56 carriers totaling 922 deaths last year.
At least 97 people were killed by Brightline trains in three Florida counties through July 30, according to U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) records updated Oct. 5:
44: Broward
33: Palm Beach
20: Miami-Dade
That doesn’t include the death of a pedestrian in St. Lucie County on Sept. 28, less than a week after Brightline began service between Miami and Orlando, which stretches 235 miles and currently has 30 trains passing through Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties daily.
Brightline — with stations in Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and now at Orlando International Airport — was already the state’s deadliest rail company before the Sept. 22 launch. On the first day of expanded service, a Brightline train fatally struck a pedestrian in Delray Beach.
Suicide by train data shielded from public
Aside from one death labeled “undetermined,” the FRA classified the cause of all Brightline deaths as “trespassing.”
Incident reports document pedestrians walking up to the track and lying down, vehicles driving around downed crossing gates, bicyclists ignoring the horn and bell, and runners trying to outsprint the oncoming train.
About half the cases involved people walking or running on or along the tracks, records show:
31: Walking
17: Running
13: Driving
10: Lying down
7: Sitting
7: Standing
6: Riding
2: Bending/stooping
2: Other
1: Stepping up
One death is recorded as “washing” — presumably a typo for “walking,” although the corresponding incident report says the deceased was struck while riding a bicycle across the tracks.
Seven of the 97 Brightline deaths, which is over 7%, were documented as suicides, a statistic TCPalm excavated from the “narrative” category of the FRA casualty database. The standard Railroad Injury and Illness Summary form doesn’t include a dedicated category for suicides, leading some rail safety experts to conclude suicides by train are undercounted.
Before 2011, train suicides and attempted suicides weren’t reportable by law. Railroads now must document such incidents, which the FRA purports to maintain “in a database that is not publicly accessible.”
Florida among states with most railroad fatalities
In Florida since 2017, at least 364 people have been killed by trains belonging to 13 different companies:
The Treasure Coast has had at least eight train deaths since 2017 — five in St. Lucie and three in Martin — not including the Sept. 28 Brightline death, which doesn’t appear in federal records yet:
5: FEC
2: Amtrak
1: SCFE
Brightline ranks sixth among U.S. rail companies with the most deaths nationwide since 2017:
1,311: Union Pacific
853: Amtrak
652: CSX
575: Norfolk Southern
97: Brightline
Florida-based FEC and Tri-Rail are ranked eighth and 12th in the U.S. with 77 and 55 deaths, respectively.
As the three most-populous states, California, Texas and Florida also top the list of most train deaths. But per 100,000 residents, based on 2020 census figures, Montana, North Dakota and Kansas are the deadliest and Florida drops to No. 22.
Brightline: Trains ‘a safer alternative’
Brightline declined a phone interview with TCPalm, but provided a statement that reads, in part:
“Trains are safe and we’re moving millions of people off of dangerous and congested roadways each year with a safer alternative to move around the state. That said, we need everyone’s help to amplify the rail safety message. Rail safety is our top priority and it’s a shared responsibility between us and the communities where we operate.”
A person or vehicle is hit by a train every three hours in the U.S., estimates the nonprofit Operation Lifesaver, which is working to curb train deaths through rail safety education.
“We don’t realize that trains are quieter than we think they are, and they’re moving much faster than we think they are,” said spokesperson Jennifer DeAngelis. “We don’t think about the fact that trains take a long time to stop.”
Brightline has partnered with the organization and invites people to take an online rail safety pledge. Fact sheets and other educational materials are available in English, Spanish and Creole.
“Take that extra second and make a safe choice,” DeAngelis said. “If the lights are going and the gate is down, a train is coming — even if you don’t see a train.”
Lindsey Leake is TCPalm’s projects reporter. She has an M.A. in Science Writing from Johns Hopkins University, an M.A. in Journalism and Digital Storytelling from American University and a B.A. from Princeton University. Follow her on X @NewsyLindsey, Facebook @LindseyMLeake and Instagram @newsylindsey. Call her at 772-529-5378 or email her at lindsey.leake@tcpalm.com.
Read more of Lindsey’s stories and support her work with a TCPalm subscription.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida Brightline trains killed more per mile than Amtrak, CSX, FEC
