BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A pedestrian was struck and killed by a Brightline train just before midnight in Boca Raton. The investigation continues Saturday morning.
According to sources familiar with the incident and the emergency response, police and paramedics were called to the area of 3999 North Dixie Highway around 11:58 p.m. Friday. The address is just north of the Boca Raton Brightline station. Once they arrived on the scene, first responders found a person who was deceased. There was apparently no need to attempt lifesaving operations. It was not immediately clear whether the person was male or female, or an approximate age.
It was also not known early Saturday whether investigators believe the person intentionally interacted with the train or if the death was an accident. Unlike in many other parts of the United States, access to the Brightline tracks in South Florida is often unfettered. Multiple people die each year after being struck by Brightline trains in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.
At least 108 people had been killed by Brightline trains since its inaugural run in 2017, making it the deadliest rail system in the United States. Brightline ceased operations during much of COVID-19, meaning the death count is more concentrated than the multi-year average starting in 2017 would otherwise suggest.
