Posted on 01/20/2018 6:24:27 AM PST by Gamecock
Jeffrey D. King and Melissa Lavell were struck and killed by Brightline trains six days and less than a half-mile apart, in the heart of a community that would seem familiar to many on the Treasure and Space coasts.
Their deaths have sparked fierce debate about who is to blame — Brightline opponents argue the passenger railroad must take responsibility, while supporters point out that King and Lavell were trespassing — and on the Treasure Coast have reignited questions about safety.
A Brightline train traveling north crosses East Ocean Avenue and Northeast Fourth Street on Thursday in Boynton Beach. On Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, Jeffrey D. King, 51, of Boynton Beach, was killed by a train when he pedaled around the gates, the second fatality by a Brightline train in a week.
When Brightline begins full Miami-to-Orlando passenger service, possibly by 2020, pedestrians who cross the tracks daily to work, shop and go to school will be endangered, Treasure Coast opponents have long said.
On Thursday, just a day after the latest Brightline fatality, Boynton Beach residents echoed those sentiments, saying they were disturbed by the recent deaths and concerned about future incidents.
“It’s so sad,” said Georgia Hillesland, pastor of the nearby Boynton Beach Congregational United Church of Christ. “How many more people have to die before something is done about it?"
Four people have been killed by Brightline trains since the summer, when the railroad began test runs.
On Jan. 12, pedestrian Melissa Lavell, 32, was killed after apparently trying to beat an oncoming Brightline train at Northeast Sixth Avenue in Boynton, according to police. The incident occurred only hours before the railroad launched introductory passenger service between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale.
Then, on Wednesday, bicyclist Jeffrey D. King, 51, was struck and killed at the Ocean Avenue crossing, just five blocks south of where Lavell died. The Boynton Beach man also was apparently trying to beat the train, according to police.
The orange Brightline train is seen traveling through Boynton Beach on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018. Brightline trains can reach speeds of up to 79 mph south of West Palm Beach and up to 110 mph through the Treasure and Space coasts.
Standing at that same Ocean Avenue crossing Thursday morning, Boynton Beach resident Victor Marshall said people in the area are constantly crossing the tracks — some even when a train is coming.
There, the tracks separate otherwise cohesive neighborhoods, as they do in the many Florida communities that developed around the historic Florida East Coast Railway built by Henry Flagler over a century ago.
One block to the east of the Ocean Avenue crossing is U.S. 1 and its corridor of popular gas stations, fast-food restaurants and grocery stores. Immediately to the west is Boynton's cultural and civic district, a bustling area of boutiques, cafes and government offices.
Just a block west of Northeast Sixth Avenue, where Lavell was killed, sits a neighborhood populated by one-story houses and the Boynton Beach Head Start. On Thursday morning, a pedestrian or bicyclist emerged from the neighborhood every few minutes to head over the tracks, toward U.S. 1.
Pedestrians and vehicles move across the train tracks at East Ocean Avenue and Northeast Fourth Street on Thursday, January 18, 2018, in Boynton Beach. Two people have died in a week in that area, both hit by Brightline trains. "Stop victim blaming and take responsibility for the fact your trains are killing people," said U.S Rep. Brian Mast on Thursday. Pedestrians and vehicles move across the train tracks at East Ocean Avenue and Northeast Fourth Street on Thursday, January 18, 2018, in Boynton Beach. Two people have died in a week in that area, both hit by Brightline trains. "Stop victim blaming and take responsibility for the fact your trains are killing people," said U.S Rep. Brian Mast on Thursday.
Marshall said locals are aware of the trains, but don't understand just how fast they are coming. Florida East Coast Railway trains — which share the rail corridor with Brightline — for years have traveled through the neighborhood typically at 30 mph to 40 mph. Brightline trains go twice as fast, according to the railroad.
“If you’re on the tracks, even if you’re hearing impaired, you can see the lights," Marshall said. "But people are trying to beat the train."
Hillesland, the pastor, said many of her congregants cross the tracks to attend church. She agreed that, at least for now, driving around closed gates is far from unusual.
"My husband and I were at the intersection yesterday, and those things are down quite a while,” she said, about crossing arms. “He said, 'Let’s go around,' and I was like, 'No!'”
For people determined to cross the tracks, the train horns do little to give a sense of just how fast the Brightline trains are approaching, Hillesland said. The noise bounces off the surrounding buildings, making it difficult to tell which direction the train is coming from and how close it is, she said.
It will be up to pedestrians and drivers to protect themselves, Marshall said.
“They’re not going to close (Brightline) down. There’s too much money to be made,” he said. “Corporate organizations have invested, what, millions of dollars? Billions? We have to be careful because that train is coming.”
Federal and state officials are calling for a review and more regulation of passenger rail following two Brightline fatalities in six days.
Still, U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, has called on Brightline to do just that, asking the railroad to suspend service and for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to conduct an oversight hearing on higher-speed rail safety.
"Stop victim blaming and take responsibility for the fact your trains are killing people," Mast said on Twitter Thursday morning.
Other elected officials — including U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, and state Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Melbourne — as well as the family of Jeffrey King are asking for further examination of Brightline's safety.
"Our request is not only that the incident itself be investigated but that the systemic safety protocols be further examined," Zedrick Barber II, attorney to the King family, said in an email. "With all the technological advances we’ve made as a society, there’s no excuse for a person riding a bicycle to have full access to a railway crossing with a locomotive approaching at speeds in excess of 60 mph."
Train supporters, the Federal Railroad Administration and Brightline, meanwhile, emphasize that Lavell and King, not the railroad, were at fault: Brightline's horns, lights and traffic gates functioned properly, and it was impossible for the trains to avoid hitting the trespassers, they say.
Brightline has been working with the railroad administration and the Florida Department of Transportation to "ensure infrastructure improvements and safety requirements were complied with as prescribed and approved by officials," the company said in a statement late Wednesday.
"It is critical that the public remains attentive when near any active railroad, always obey the laws and respect the safety devices that are in place to protect the public," the company said. "Never try to beat a train."
Marc Willis, railroad administration spokesman, confirmed that the Brightline engineer sounded the train's horn and bell as required and that the crossing warning system functioned properly Wednesday in the moments before King was killed.
The railroad administration makes safety its highest priority, Willis added, pointing to the U.S. Department of Transportation's recent Stop! Trains Can't advertising campaign.
The $3.1 billion Brightline project is to expand service to Miami later this year, but has not begun construction north of West Palm Beach. That phase 2 construction, and extension of full service through the Treasure and Space coasts to Orlando, still is at least two years away, officials have said.
Rail crossing safety tips Motorists should slow down and be prepared to stop at crossings
Pedestrians should remain aware, listen and look both ways
Pedestrians should cross only at designated crossings
Understand and obey railroad signs
Proceed over the tracks without stopping
Never try to beat a train
You would think that the trains are sneaking into peoples homes in the middle of the night and bludgeoning them to death.
and on same day 100 Americans were killed by car drivers.
Who the HELL rides these local trains?
So let me get this straight. When someone ignores lights and horns and goes around crossing gates it’s the trains fault when they get hit? Another piece of evidence this country has gone totally insane
Faster than a speeding locomotive? Nope. Sorrry, you lose. Game over.
There should be no debate about who is the blame for this particular death.
Put up level crossings like in Britain, a complete no go around gate.
Train Gangs...
Then, on Wednesday, bicyclist Jeffrey D. King, 51, was struck and killed at the Ocean Avenue crossing, just five blocks south of where Lavell died. The Boynton Beach man also was apparently trying to beat the train, according to police.
"Beat the Train" - a new fun way to identify and remove the members of the population who are too stupid to live.
When I lived in a small town outside the Chicago area that had a set of train tracks, one friend was a local police officer who said that in 25 years on the force, he walked the tracks about 30 times pointing out body parts to the guys with the little bags used to clean up this kind of mess. When the village wrote a law that imposed a $500 fine for crossing the tracks improperly, he had no problem writing the tickets and never let anybody get away with a warning.
Couldn't really blame him. In future years, none of the new victims had been issued a ticket before they tried to beat a train and lost. Maybe the $500 had something to do with it.
Station armed guards with orders to shoot to kill those crossing at the wrong times.
We’ve had railroads for centuries now. Plenty of time for society to get right with the Laws of Physics.
How can one post without a url link?
Because I am a moron. Mod has been notified.
I would think the posting software would do some error checking to eliminate this.
I know when the few times I try to post I get all sorts of “fix it, bozo” messages.
Drivers tend to forget that even though the driver can get around the train real fast there is still about 15 feet of automobile behind the driver that hasn’t made it past yet.
Plaintiff lawyers.
The train owners should countersue for damage to their trains/tracks caused by the deceased’s negligence. Then maybe this would stop
No, peoples' stupidity is killing people. In the battle of 150-pound human at 3 mph versus highballing passenger train at 20,000 tons and 80 mph, I can pretty accurately predict the winner every time.
Dagnabbit, these new-fangled inventions are dangerous.
Don’t play chicken with a train. You will lose.
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