Man Jumped In Front Of Brightline Train: Police

BOYNTON BEACH, FL — The pedestrian who was struck by a Brightline train Friday appears to have jumped in front of the train, according to Boynton Beach police. The victim was identified as 46-year-old Christopher Bailey of Lakeland, Florida. The incident occurred just south of Woolbright Road.

"Preliminary investigation has revealed that Bailey jumped in front of the train as it was traveling southbound from the Woolbright/FEC intersection," explained Stephanie Slater of the Boynton Beach Police Department on Monday.

See also Brightline Rolls Into Miami Amid Safety Concerns

There have already been at least seven deaths since the service began its testing on Florida East Coast Railway tracks late last year From West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale. At least half of the victims had drugs in their systems, according to the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office.

The Medical Examiner's Office did not yet have the toxicology results available in the case of Bailey's death.

In May, Brightline expanded its service to include Miami as the third stop of the system along with West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. But while the expansion of the only privately funded inter-city train service in the United States clearly ushers in a new era of transportation for car-dependent South Florida, it also brings with it new challenges from a safety perspective.

Friday's incident occurred at 11:19 a.m. in the 1600 block of South Federal Highway. Slater said that the passengers on the train were not injured.

Photo by Paul Scicchitano