Another Brightline incident leaves a pedestrian dead in Palm Beach County

BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com

PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — One person is dead and an investigation is ongoing following an incident involving Brightline and pedestrians in Lake Worth Beach Tuesday afternoon. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has shared those details with BocaNewsNow.com.

“On June 18, 2024, at approximately 12:15 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 1600 block of S Dixie Highway for a crash involving Brightline and a pedestrian. Traffic police arrived at the scene along with PBCFR and the pedestrian was pronounced deceased. Detectives from the Violent Crimes Unit and Crime Scene Investigators arrived at the scene to further investigate.”

The victim was not identified. The Brightline train was stopped during the investigation and then allowed to depart. Passengers were not removed from the train during the investigation. It was unclear whether the victim had accidentally walked onto the tracks or had attempted “suicide by train.”

Brightline is considered the deadliest rail system in the United States due to the number of fatal rail accidents. In much of South Florida, access to the tracks is easier – and often not blocked off – unlike many other places in the United States.