New Details In Friday Fatality.
LAKE WORTH BEACH, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Coconut Creek man is dead after he rode his bicycle directly into the path of a Tri-Rail train arriving at the Lake Worth Beach station Friday morning, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies say 38-year-old Ulisses Ricardo Aponte was riding his bike east to west along the 3000 block of Lake Worth Road around 7:47 a.m. when he entered the crossing just as a southbound Tri-Rail train was pulling into the station. At the same time, a separate train was departing to the north. Investigators say all of the crossing’s safety measures — gate arms, bells, and both solid and flashing red lights — were active, and the train’s horn was sounding.
According to PBSO in a statement to BocaNewsNow.com, Aponte appeared to proceed into the crossing once its tail end cleared the tracks — without ever spotting the southbound train arriving at the terminal. The front of that train struck him, deputies say, propelling him south and pulling him under the train, which came to a stop only partially inside the station.
The train’s engineer, identified as Fred Dassau of Pompano Beach, was not injured. No charges have been filed as of this report, and the Sheriff’s Office says Aponte’s next of kin has been notified. The crash is the 56th traffic fatality investigated by PBSO this year.
