4 fatal Brightline crashes happened in Melbourne, with 2 in 3 days. Here's what we know
Four fatal crashes involving Brightline trains have occurred in the past three months along the same corridor of U.S. 1 in Melbourne. Three have taken place since Christmas Eve, and two happened within three days.
The two crashes this week occurred at the same location. About 12:45 p.m. Friday, two people died after a high-speed train collided with a pickup at WH Jackson Street. Police could not confirm whether there were other fatalities. Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey said police said the driver was seen going around the railroad crossing.
Two days earlier, Melbourne musician Charles Phillips was killed when a Brightline train struck the SUV he was driving. Three passengers, including a 9-year-old child, were injured.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday it would investigate the crashes.
The north-south tracks that Brightline uses runs through a densely populated portion of Melbourne, as is the case for cities up and down the high-speed rail line that runs from Miami to Orlando. The train blares a horn when approaching intersections or cutting through heavily populated areas, and gate arms come down to block traffic from crossing the tracks.
Reports of pedestrians being hit by the trains, which can travel 70-80 mph through downtown areas and up to 130 mph in the open, have followed Brightline since it started operating in 2018. As service extended from Palm Beach to Orlando in 2022, more people are finding out how different these trains are as opposed to freight and other passenger trains.
Here's what to know.
Where have the Melbourne Brightline accidents been?
About 2:45 p.m. October 19, Lisa Marie Molnar, 60, of Melbourne, was struck and killed by a Brightline train near Aurora Road and Cypress Avenue.
About 7 p.m. December 24, Katherine Stimus, 36, of Melbourne, was struck and killed by a Brightline train near the same location as the September fatal crash near Aurora Road.
About 2 p.m. January 10, a northbound Brightline train collided with an SUV behind the American Legion building at WH Jackson Street near U.S. 1 in Melbourne. Charles "Chuck" Phillips, 62, of Melbourne, was killed, and three others were badly injured: Keisha Gonzalez, 48, of Melbourne; Terricha Culbreth, 44, of Palm Bay; and a 9-year-old unnamed child from Palm Bay.
About 12:45 p.m. January 12, two people were killed when a Brightline train collided with a pickup at the same WH Jackson Street crossing in Melbourne.
Where is WH Jackson Street?
WH Jackson Street is about a half-mile south of Crane Creek in Melbourne. The railroad crossing is about 400 feet west of U.S. 1.
Is the Brightline train safe?
Melbourne Mayor Alfrey, who went to the scene shortly after getting notice about Friday's crash, said police saw the driver try to go around the railway gates before being struck.
"I need to stress to people, you have to follow traffic laws, including around trains ... this is about personal responsibility; you can't be dumb," Alfrey said.
A TCPalm analysis of federal data found 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.
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. Brightline service expanded north from Palm Beach County through the Treasure Coast and Space Coast to Orlando on September 22. On the first day of extended service, a pedestrian was struck and killed in Delray Beach.
How many people have been killed by trains in Florida?
Since 2017, at least 364 people in Florida have been killed by trains belonging to 13 different companies, according to a TCPalm analysis October 5. Of those, 97 were killed by Brightline trains.
About half the cases involved people walking or running on or along the tracks, records show. Seven 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.
How fast does Brightline go?
Brightline trains have a top speed of 130 mph, making them the fastest in Florida history, the company said. Brightline has said trains will travel up to 110 mph between Cocoa and West Palm Beach and 125 mph between Orlando and Cocoa. The company also has said trains would go 70-80 mph through downtowns.
TCPalm measured train speeds and clocked Brightline trains going between 23 and 82 mph at various points from Hobe Sound and Stuart north to Vero Beach and Sebastian.
How can I stay safe around Brightline trains?
The most important thing is to be attentive when approaching a railroad. Brightline trains are much quieter than freight trains and other passenger trains, and they move much faster, meaning it's important to be extra cautious near the tracks.
Brightline has a list of safety tips for being safe around their high-speed trains, mostly suggesting alertness around the tracks. The Federal Railroad Administration distributed safety pamphlets that included the following tips:
At railroad crossings, slow down and approach with care.
Listen carefully for trains.
Look both ways, bending forward to see around obstructions.
Be aware of your surroundings and prepare to stop.
Do not enter a crossing unless you can drive completely through it without stopping.
Keep driving through the crossing even if the lights flash and the gates come down.
Leave at least 6 feet between your vehicle and the rails because trains are wider than the tracks.
Keep a cell phone on hand for emergencies.
If your vehicle stalls on the tracks:
Get out immediately.
Walk toward the oncoming train and move away from the tracks at a 45-degree angle. If a train hits your vehicle, the debris will move in the same direction as the train.
Call 911 or the emergency phone number posted on the blue signs at crossings.
TCPalm reporter Lindsey Leake contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Melbourne Brightline accident deaths: What we know about the crashes
