BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — An unidentified man was struck and killed by a Brightline train in Barefoot Bay on Thursday morning, a Brevard County Sheriff's Office spokesman confirmed.
The incident occurred at the railroad crossing at Barefoot Bay Boulevard, authorities said.
Barefoot Bay Boulevard is closed as the investigation continues.
Thursday's pedestrian death marks the fourth in Brevard County since Brightline trains began running in late September 2023. The other three were killed in Melbourne, and in each of those cases, the individuals walked past crossing gates.
No other details are available on Thursday's fatal incident.
An Indialantic man was killed in February at the Fee Avenue crossing in Melbourne when he was hit by a Brightline train.
In January, two fatal crashes occurred when vehicles were struck by one of the fast-speed trains at the crossing near WH Jackson Street near U.S. 1. In both of those cases, the drivers of the cars were captured on the camera of a local business driving around the guard gate after it already had come down.
To try to increase safety at the crossings, Brightline installed “red-light” cameras at specific crossings to help identify drivers that go around the quad gates when they're down. An additional safety campaign used to educate drivers also was put into place.
A warning sign at the Barefoot Bay crossing says, "Trains may exceed 80 mph."
Crashes involving Brightline trains that involve drivers maneuvering around guard gates prompted the Florida Legislature to pass HB 1301, a state law that imposes first-offense penalties like $500 fines, 25 hours of community service and six points on an offender’s driver’s license. The law calls for a $1000 fine and six more points for a second offense. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the measure into law.
This is a developing story.