Latest news with #MichaelLefevre
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Miami Herald
Brightline's deadly tracks: Why blaming train's victims is a lethal cop-out
Not too long after Brightline began operating in South Florida in 2018, it became clear that the fast trains were killing a lot of people. The narrative from the company and local officials has been that the drivers and pedestrians killed were at fault for making reckless decisions to cross train tracks improperly. A new investigative report by the Miami Herald and WLRN sheds lights on new information, and the blame-the-victim narrative can no longer be the only explanation for Brightline's shocking death toll of 182 people. The passenger rail service connecting Miami to Orlando at speeds between 79 mph and 125 mph is the nation's deadliest. To be fair, the Herald/WLRN report indicates that some of the people killed did make bad decisions. For example, there was the driver of a Maserati who zigged and zagged around cars stopped at the tracks in Oakland Park and sped around a gate to his death. Brightline officials told reporters the company has done a lot to educate the public and to push for stricter enforcement of trespassers at the tracks. Vice President of Operations Michael Lefevre wrote in a statement: 'All have been the result of illegal, deliberate and oftentimes reckless behavior by people putting themselves in harm's way.' The company has not been found at fault for any of the deaths on its tracks. But 182 deaths should not be accepted as the status quo or written off as the result of human stupidity. Fast trains are not a novelty in the developed world, and South Florida, where most of the deaths occurred, does not have a monopoly on bad human decisions. Although Lefevre said 'more than half' the deaths 'have been confirmed or suspected suicide' — a convenient explanation for the company — the Herald/WLRN reported that autopsy reports ruled that the majority of fatalities were accidents or undetermined. The vast majority of those killed were on foot or bicycles, which is important considering that Brightline train tracks in some places cut through urban neighborhoods, a lot of them poor. The investigation showed that Brightline has failed to urgently address the train's dangers, turning to the public to pay for safety upgrades around the private track. The company's lobbyists also killed Republican legislation to increase state oversight of the railway. Local governments haven't necessarily helped either, and delays in the release of federal funds for crucial safety projects compound the problem. So there isn't necessarily one culprit. The Brightline corridor is so dangerous, the Herald/WLRN found, because of the large number of rail crossings and local officials' resistance to closing some of the most dangerous ones. Unlike other passenger trains that keep cars and people away from crossings with overpasses, bridges and tunnels, 96% of Brightline's crossings are at grade, meaning there is no separation between railroad tracks and streets. Lefevre said if those crossings aren't being closed it is not 'for lack of effort or interest on Brightline's part.' More than a decade ago, we were alerted about some of these issues by Brightline's first critics, officials and residents from Florida's Treasure Coast, north of Palm Beach. Back when Brightline was still just a concept, then called All Aboard Florida, people there worried that the trains would run on existing private freight tracks that are too close to downtowns and roads, such as U.S. 1. The argument from Brightline proponents was that the Florida East Coast Railway tracks were laid before some of those communities were built or expanded. If Brightline had been conceived from scratch and not on existing tracks, it would probably look different and be less dangerous. But the trains are already running, and we want a railway between Miami and Orlando to be successful. The question is how to make it safer. The Herald/WLRN points to some issues that require attention. More than half of Brightline's crossings are within 'quiet zones,' where train horns are allowed to be silenced at local governments' request if safety equipment is added. No deaths have happened on the trains' fastest segment from Cocoa to Orlando, where they can reach speeds of 125 mph. Is that because that area is less populated or because the stretch is fenced off and inaccessible to cars and pedestrians? Because Brightline doesn't reach 125 mph along most of its route, it can run without fencing or separation from pedestrians and cars in those areas. Brightline is more dangerous to drivers and, especially, pedestrians compared to other American passenger railroads. There are plenty of reasons for that. Now there needs to be financial and political will to address the deadly problem. Click here to send the letter.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Florida's beloved Brightline train has killed 180 people in eight years as locals ignore safety crossings
Florida 's beloved Brightline trains were revealed in a new investigation to have killed more than 180 people in just over eight years, leading to furious finger-pointing and calls for further safety measures around the notoriously deadly rail line. The Sunshine State's icon trainline has been dubbed America's most dangerous railroad for reportedly killing one person on average every 13 days of service, according to a year-long investigation by the Miami Herald and WLRN. A staggering 182 people have died and 99 were injured on the tracks since 2018, with another 101 collisions into vehicles mercifully ending without causalities. Brightline officials have said the company has gone to great lengths to keep the public safe, pointing to the high level of suicides and drug-influenced incidents that critics have called 'victim blaming'. 'We have been a leader in the industry on safety initiatives related to education, enforcement and engineering,' Brightline Vice President of Operations Michael Lefevre said in a statement to the Herald. 'As a result of our focus, including our significant investment in safety infrastructure, none of the incidents along the railroad have been the result of train operations.' The Herald, however, claimed the company's initiatives weren't substantial enough after Brightline extended their lines of service through Treasure Coast to Orlando, where 49 people died by train. Brightline has faced legal pressure over the years in relation to the deaths along the railroad. But of at least a dozen lawsuits, none have reached trial and some were resolved in undisclosed settlements. Lefevre noted that 'more than half' of the deaths along the tracks 'have been confirmed or suspected suicide.' 'All [deaths] have been the result of illegal, deliberate and oftentimes reckless behavior by people putting themselves in harm's way,' the statement continued. Autopsy rulings reviewed by the outlet, however, reportedly suggest that a 'majority of the fatalities were accidents,' instead of suicides as Brightline have claimed. 'Of the 182 dead, 75 were ruled suicide by local medical examiners - or about 41%. In Broward County, where 61 people have died, 30% were ruled suicide,' the outlet reported. Brightline's dangerous reputation has spurred controversy for years, and as the first few deaths occurred in 2018 the company faced backlash for 'victim blaming.' In Brightline's first week of service, 51-year-old Jeffrey King had been struck and killed on a bicycle in Boynton Beach, making him the fourth death at the hands of the train line at the time. US Rep. Brian Mast called the company out for it's public comments that people such as King had not payed attention to the safety warnings at crossings. 'Stop victim blaming and take responsibility for the fact that your trains are killing people,' Mast tweeted at the time. 'Trains should stop running until massive safety flaws are resolved.' Yet, Brightline's president, Patrick Goddard, told a congressional committee in April 2018, that the people pointing figures at the trains safety 'choose to ignore the facts and the actual police reports surrounding these incidents, a common theme of bending information to suit their anti-progress narrative,' the Herald reported. 'Every person who has died on our railroad has either chose to end their lives or been under the influence of drugs,' he said at the time. Out of six deaths at that point, two had been ruled suicide, and the remaining of the victims had tested positive for drugs. King had marijuana in his system, but the Palm Beach County medical examiner's office told the Herald that it was impossible to know if it played a significant role in his death. Brightline has claimed that the majority of accidents can be blamed on the careless attitudes of drivers and pedestrians along the railroad tracks. However, the outlet also points out that local initiatives have contributed to the increasing death toll. In parts of Southern Florida, train horns were silenced following local demands for 'quiet zones' and many cities have been tentative to close dangerous crossings. The highest number of deaths were reported in Palm Beach County, Broward and Miami-Dade. The high-speed train's installation came with fears that its presence would increase the dangers for some of the most densely populated areas of Florida. Trains that travel at speeds more than 125 mph must adhere to mandatory safety measures, which means the tracks are required to be separated from roads and pedestrians with no traffic crossings. Brightline's speeds only increase to these numbers in the final stretch of its service to Orlando, which opened in 2023, and is fenced off completely. Along this stretch, no one has died. The trains speeds between Miami and West Palm Beach reach 79 mph and 110 mph further north to Cocoa, the Herald reported. While safety fears have proved to have been substantiated, efforts to keep the public safe have been made by the railroad company despite their stance that the deaths resulted from reckless behavior. 'Brightline has invested hundreds of millions into modernizing the tracks and crossing systems and additional investment has been awarded. Since 2022, we've seen more than $70 million dollars of grants awarded for safety projects along our corridor,' Lefevre continued. 'Every time a person takes an illegal shortcut across the tracks or walks down the middle of the tracks, they are making a deliberate choice and putting themselves in a dangerous position.' Pedestrians were found to be the most at-risk group, with 158 of the death toll made up of those on foot or bicycle, the Herald reported. Around 60 percent of those who died weren't at crossings, according to federal data obtained by the outlet. However in 2014, Frank Frey, a Federal Railroad Administration engineer, was a member of a team who walked the route of the prospective railroad line. A report from Frey, obtained by the Herald, warned of trespassing, even then, being at an all time high. Frey urged the company to exercise increased safety efforts, including fending to direct pedestrians to crossings. Frey also suggested the company add crossing-gate arms and median dividers to deter drivers from going around gates, the Herald reported. '[T]hey are not exercising appropriate safety practices and reasonable care,' Frey wrote in the report. Yet the company resisted making any changes. It argued against state bills in 2017, 2018 and 2020, which would require the company to pay for fending at popular trespassing shortcuts. Rusty Roberts, a former company official, said the measures were ineffective, expensive and difficult to maintain, the Herald reported. But, following a federal grant in 2022, Lefevre was one to declare the measures as 'common sense' that would have an 'immediate impact.' 'When done in the right area and with the proper length, fencing can be a benefit to channel pedestrians to the nearest crossing,' he said in a statement. The terms of the grant would cost Brightline $10 million and federal and state governments $35 million for 33 miles of protective fencing and landscaping along the tracks, warning markings at crossings and 168 crisis-support signs for those who are suicidal. However, Brightline trains continue to make headlines as incidents along the tracks lead to tragic consequences. Maddie Brunelle, 18, died eight years ago after being struck by a Brightline train, and her mother, Amy Brunelle, continues to fret over the railroad that lies through Florida. 'What scares me is how much open track there is,' Brunelle told the Herald. 'And how close it is to public areas.' Her daughter, who was bipolar and in a manic state, had walked out of a treatment facility and headed toward the tracks. Brunelle was the first victim of the Brightline trains, and the area of her death remains unfenced. Lefevre said in his statement to the Herald that each incident is 'tragic and avoidable.' Brightline did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment.
