Florida’s high-speed passenger rail service suffered its first death on its new extension to Orlando on Thursday when a pedestrian was struck in what appears to be a suicide, authorities said. Overall, it was Brightline’s 99th death since it began operating six years ago.
A northbound Brightline train headed to Orlando struck the 25-year-old man shortly before 9 a.m. near the Atlantic Coast city of Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said in a statement. a press conference. He said the man was homeless and that he appeared to have intentionally stood in front of the train.
Brightline trains travel up to 79 mph in urban areas, 110 mph in less populated regions, and 125 mph through the farmland of central Florida. It is unknown how fast this train was traveling, Mascara said.
Brightline officials did not immediately respond to emails and phone calls seeking comment.
2 DEAD AFTER FLORIDA HIGH-SPEED TRAIN HITS CAR AT RAILWAY CROSSING NORTH OF MIAMI
Brightline opened its extension connecting Miami and Orlando on Friday, although the celebration was marred when a pedestrian was struck by one of the company’s trains carrying travelers from West Palm Beach to Miami.
Brightline trains have had the highest fatality rate in the U.S. since they began operations in Miami-West Palm: about one death for every 32,000 miles their trains travel, according to an ongoing Associated Press analysis of data federal that began in 2019. A major railroad has one death every 130,000 miles.
None of the previous deaths have been found to be the fault of Brightline; the majority have been suicides, drivers crossing doors or pedestrians crossing roads.
Brightline has taken steps that its leaders believe improve safety, including adding closed-circuit cameras near tracks, installing better crossing gates and pedestrian barriers, and posting signs that include the traffic prevention hotline. suicide.
