POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – A person was hit by a train in Pompano Beach on Friday. At approximately 3:41 p.m., Broward County Regional Communications received a call about a Brightline train accident involving a pedestrian near East Copans Road and North Dixie Highway.
Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies and Pompano Beach Fire Rescue responded. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, according to BSO.
The westbound lanes of Copans Road at Dixie Highway were shut down as crews investigated what happened.
People in the area told Local 10 News that the victim was a man who frequented the area. It is unclear if he was trying to beat the train or if he stepped in front of the train intentionally. The gates were down when the crash happened.
Just last month, the inaugural Brightline trip from Miami to Orlando was delayed after a train hit and killed a pedestrian in Delray Beach on Sept. 22, 2023.
Brightline trains have had the highest death rate in the U.S. since its Miami-West Palm operations began — about one death for every 32,000 miles its trains travel, according to an ongoing Associated Press analysis of federal data that began in 2019. The next-worst major railroad has a fatality every 130,000 miles.
None of the previous deaths have been found to be Brightline’s fault — most have been suicides, drivers who go around crossing gates or pedestrians running across tracks.
Brightline has taken steps its leaders believe enhance safety, including adding closed-circuit cameras near tracks, installing better crossing gates and pedestrian barriers, and posting signage that includes the suicide prevention hotline.