Recently, it was announced that Brightline is expanding into the Orlando, Florida area. This is certainly welcome news to locals looking for an easier way to commute to work and tourists who visit Central Florida for vacation, of which there are plenty. In fact, as many as 35 million trips are made annually between Central and South Florida, and estimates show most are made by car. Reducing these single-passenger car trips will go a long way towards not only reducing carbon emissions but also clearing up traffic on painfully-congested roadways, like I-4, I-75, and the Florida Turnpike. The train ride time is competitive with driving in a traffic-choked area of Florida, where what is typically a 3.5-hour drive can turn into a five-hour nightmare.
The privately owned company’s website tells us that the ride between the Orlando and West Palm Beach Brightline train stations is approximately two hours, and three hours thirty minutes between Orlando and Miami. The debut of the 235-mile, 3.5-hour ride completes a $6 billion private investment in Florida. Brightline trains travel up to 79 mph in urban areas, then increase speeds to 110 mph in less populated areas from West Palm Beach to Cocoa, peaking at 125 mph on a newly built track through central Florida’s farmland between Cocoa and Orlando. Talk about speed and efficiency!
The route introduced modern train service to a large portion of the state, offering contemporary conveniences and quicker travel durations compared to what Amtrak, the country’s passenger railway, currently provides. With the expansion to Orlando, Brightline projects the line will eventually carry 8 million people annually. This may be Brightline’s most recent project, but it’s far from it’s last. With the Orlando segment complete, Brightline says it will move to advance a $12 billion high-speed railway project from Las Vegas to Southern California, with a goal to put trains traveling at 186 mph on America’s tracks by 2028
Are There Brightline Train Accidents?
Rail enthusiasts have embraced this service as a herald of a fresh chapter for the railway system in the United States. Additionally, it is seen as a resurgence of private sector enthusiasm for investing in passenger services, a development occurring over half a century since Congress established Amtrak to alleviate private rail companies from their responsibility to offer intercity passenger rail service.
If you’re thinking that a train going that fast (anywhere from 80 MPH to over 100 MPH) with that many people on board sounds a little dangerous, you’re not wrong. They’re incredibly efficient, but far from impossible to crash. A Brightline train accident lawyer can tell you how often they happen.
Brightline trains, like any other mode of transportation, can be involved in accidents. Accidents involving Brightline trains can include collisions with vehicles or pedestrians at railroad crossings, derailments, or other incidents that may occur on the railway tracks.
Since 2018, when Miami Dade County, Broward County, and West Palm Beach operations began, 99 people have been hit and killed by Brightline trains. None of the deaths, however, have been found to be Brightline’s fault. Brightline has taken steps to add more safety measures, like adding additional warning signs to tell people when a train is coming.
Human error, someone not paying attention to their job duties, can result in a catastrophic train accident. It’s essential for both the operators of Brightline trains and other road users to exercise caution, follow safety rules, and adhere to signals and warnings to reduce the risk of accidents. Additionally, train operators typically have safety measures and protocols in place to minimize the likelihood of accidents and ensure passenger safety.
Brightline Train Gets Into a Fatal Accident on the First Day of Operations
Not only can Brightline trains get into accidents, they do. In fact, the new route mentioned above got into a deadly accident on the very first day it launched! A Brightline train hit and killed a pedestrian in Delray Beach, police say, during the inaugural Brightline trip from Miami to Orlando. A Brightline representative told WPBF 25 that the crash happened on the Southbound train. Northbound trains scheduled to leave West Palm Beach for Orlando were scheduled to leave around 9 a.m. The railroad company said the train left the West Palm Beach station minutes earlier.
The fatality was at least the sixth accident involving pedestrians and this rail company in Palm Beach County this year, and the fourth in Delray Beach. Two people died on Feb. 8 and another on June 5. Other fatalities took place Jan. 21 in Boca Raton and May 12 in Lake Worth Beach. Miami New Times will tell you that these Brightline train collisions are far from isolated incidents. Many locals are not used to South Florida railroad crossings and don’t take them seriously.
Hire a Florida Brightline Train System Accident Lawyer
If you are ever injured either by a Brightline train or because of a brightline train, it is highly recommended that you seek out the counsel of a Florida personal injury attorney. Justice for your physical and emotional pain is not automatic. As briefly mentioned above, all fatalities in Florida have been ruled that Brightline was not at fault. Clearly, they have lawyers working on their behalf to hold Brightline as little accountable for accidents as possible. You don’t want to go up against the opposing legal team on your own.
It is worth noting that if a loved one was killed by a Brightline train, a personal injury lawyer can help you file a wrongful death claim. Fl.Stat.768.21 indicates which family members or individuals are entitled to bring a wrongful death claim in the state of Florida. An attorney will be able to discuss your exact situation in more detail and let you know whether you can seek compensation on the deceased person’s behalf. Personal injury claims have a four year statute of limitations in Florida, but Fl.Stat.95.11(4) establishes a two year statute of limitations for wrongful death claims.
In fact, all personal injury claims have a statute of limitations- from a train accident to a car accident and beyond. You don’t have long to wait. Don’t put this off because you’re feeling overwhelmed with lost wages, hospital stays, medical bills, and emotional pain! It is very likely you have recoverable damages. When looking for a Central or South Florida personal injury attorney, you have a lot of legal options. 1-800-Injured can help connect you with a Florida Brightline accident lawyer, making the entire injury claim process much easier. Contact us today to begin the process of filing a Brightline train accident case against the rail line and getting a fair settlement.