By Jessie Hewett
On Friday, January 12, 2024, the City of Melbourne experienced a second fatal Brightline train collision with a vehicle at the same railroad crossing located just south of downtown in a densely populated area on WH Jackson St. Two people were killed on Friday and another person died on Wednesday.
Surveillance video suggest both drivers tried to beat the train through the railway crossing by driving around the gate arms. Brightline trains can travel 70 to 80 miles per hour through down town areas and up to 130 mph in other areas thus leaving little time to safely pull off this stunt.
Melbourne has also experienced two pedestrian deaths in Brightline train accidents since they started their extended service from Orlando to Miami in September of 2023.
Brightline trains have the worst death rate among the more than 800 railroads in the United States according to the Associated Press. At least 97 people were killed by Brightline trains in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties through July 30, 2023, according to Federal Railroad Administration records updated October 5. According to The Associated Press, five people have been killed since service extended to Orlando on September 22, 2023.
