Man crossing tracks killed by higher-speed Brightline train in Florida

HOLLYWOOD — A man was fatally struck by a Brightline higher-speed train as he tried to cross the railroad tracks in Hollywood, officials said.

Thursday night’s crash marks at least the sixth death involving Brightline since it resumed operations late last year following a shutdown for much of the pandemic.

No additional details were immediately available about Thursday night’s death. Other recent deaths include a 68-year-old man and his sister who were struck by a train when the brother drove his SUV around a lowered crossing gate.

These deaths continue a trend that shows Brightline to have the worst fatality rate among the country’s approximately 800 railroads since it began test runs in mid-2017, according to an Associated Press analysis of Federal Railroad Administration data.

None of the 52 earlier deaths involving Brightline have been blamed on its equipment or crews. Investigations showed most victims were either suicidal, intoxicated, mentally ill or had gone around barriers at an intersection in an attempt to beat the trains, which travel up to 79 mph through densely populated areas between Miami and West Palm Beach.