BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — Brightline trains were involved in two crashes Wednesday night, one in which a man was fatally struck in Boynton Beach and three hours later in Jensen Beach when a woman escaped before her car was struck.
The first crash involved a northbound train at 5:30 p.m. at U.S. 1 and Northeast 10th Avenue/Martin Luther King Boulevard, according to Boynton Beach police. Police are investigating the circumstances of the incident.
The train was going northbound, and it was several hours before passengers were able to be picked up.
Brenda Floyd, who lives near the crash, told WPTV reporter Ethan Stein she's concerned about people, like her kids, not being careful crossing the tracks because they are in a hurry.
"People — period, kids," she said. "People driving. Everybody wants to be first. Everybody wants to go really quick, but sometimes we have to be patient.
At about 8:30 p.m., a Brightline train struck a vehicle at Jensen Beach Boulevard.
Martin County Fire Rescue spokesman Cory Pippin said the driver escaped before the car was struck.
Pippin told WPTV a woman in a car was on the train tracks and decided to turn and then got stuck.
A woman who was riding behind her rescued the elderly woman out of the car.
The arms went down and she exited the vehicle before the train destroyed the car and put a big hole in the front of the train.
The train continued north a short distance after the crash.
The road was shut down for eastbound and westbound traffic while investigators cleared the crash.
Brightline operates on tracks run by Florida East Coast Railway from Miami to Orlando with 15 daily trips each way.
Brightline began service from West Palm Beach to Orlando on Sept. 22, 2023.