Accident – death – Obituary News :

Investigation Launched into Fatal Crashes Involving Brightline Train in Florida

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has announced that it will investigate two separate crashes involving Florida’s Brightline train, which resulted in the tragic deaths of three individuals at the same crossing along the high-speed train’s route between Miami and Orlando.

The accidents occurred on Wednesday and Friday at a railroad crossing along the US 1 corridor in Melbourne, a city situated on Florida’s Atlantic coast. Since Brightline’s extension from South Florida to Orlando was launched in September, there have been a total of five deaths reported, according to an Associated Press database.

The most recent crash on Friday claimed the lives of Lisa Ann Batchelder, 52, the driver of the vehicle, and her passenger, Michael Anthony Degasperi, 54, both residents of Melbourne. In the earlier incident on Wednesday, Charles Julian Phillips, 62, lost his life when the train collided with the vehicle he was driving. Three other passengers in the vehicle sustained injuries, as confirmed by the local authorities.

Speaking at the scene, Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey revealed that the SUV had attempted to outrun the train. He expressed his concerns to Orlando television station WKMG, stating, “I start by saying if the arm is down, don’t go around. There is no good outcome with a train. It’s an unfortunate situation. We are once again experiencing a loss of life. There are safety precautions for a reason, and people should follow them.”

The brightly colored neon yellow trains operated by Brightline can reach speeds of up to 201 km/h in certain sections. The 3.5-hour, 378-kilometer journey from Miami to Orlando takes approximately 30 minutes less than the average commute time.

The NTSB team is expected to be on-site for several days, commencing their investigation on Saturday. NTSB spokeswoman Sarah Taylor Sulick informed the Associated Press that the investigators will work towards better understanding the safety concerns at the crossing and explore opportunities to prevent or minimize such accidents in the future. A preliminary report is set to be released within 30 days, with a final report following in 12 to 24 months.

In response to the incidents, Brightline has placed warning signs near railroad crossings to alert drivers of the presence of fast-moving trains. However, the company has not yet provided an official statement regarding the crashes.

These three tragic fatalities in Melbourne this week represent at least 108 deaths since Brightline commenced operations in July 2017. This amounts to one death for every 38,000 miles (61,000 kilometers) traveled by the trains, making it the railway with the highest fatality rate out of over 800 railways in the country, as per an ongoing investigation initiated in 2019. The analysis also revealed that California’s Caltrain commuter line had the second-worst fatality rate since 2017, averaging one fatality for every 125,000 miles (201,000 kilometers) traveled during that period.

It is important to note that none of Brightline’s previous fatalities have been attributed to the railroad’s negligence. The majority of the incidents involved suicides, pedestrians attempting to cross the tracks directly in front of the train, or drivers disregarding the safety gates and attempting to bypass them.

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