FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – Expect to see extra police officers and extra deputies at rail crossings where they are going to enforce and give tickets to people who try to outrun the trains.
This is happening after several collisions with trains have caused injuries and death.
One incident involving a pedestrian happened Monday in Hollywood.
7Skyforce captured the scene overhead where a white tarp that covered the body laid on the train tracks.
Police said the person darted in front of the oncoming train that was headed northbound.
Brightline executives met with the Broward Sheriff’s Office and Miami-Dade Police that same day to discuss the latest awareness and enforcement campaign, which will begin this week, as it is National Safety Rail week.
“This week, expect to see Miami-Dade Police Department motorcycle units conducting enforcement and education details,” said MDPD Officer Christopher Brothers.
“It’s enforcement and also education,” said BSO undersheriff Nicole Anderson. “The goal here is to save lives.”
Another incident, earlier in the year, in Pompano Beach, killed 27-year-old Jacob Bresnahan.
Surveillance video shows the moments before the crash and the aftermath. It shows a pickup truck heading north on North Flagler Avenue, parallel to the tracks before colliding with the train.
“What happens in most cases, all cases, is that individuals are taking chances and circumventing the very safety equipment that was put in place to protect them,” said Brightline spokesperson Patrick Goddard.
The campaign will see extra deputies and police officers along the tracks in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties to enforce safety practices.
“Our last operation resulted in 400 and something traffic citations and warnings and numerous arrests in notice to appear,” said Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office Capt. E Bauer.
If you stop on the tracks or attempt to go around the railings, you will receive a ticket. The Brightline trains go up to 79 MPH and only takes 45 seconds for them to pass through an intersection.
“You would have to take train safety seriously, you have to follow the laws and stop at the crossings and intersections. It’s definitely worth the wait,” said Bauer.
In the Tri-County area, officials are hoping this will also get the word out that people cannot outrun a train and to stop when a person sees the warnings.
“It’s enforcement, but it’s also education,” said BSO Undersheriff Nicole Anderson. “The goal here is to save lives. We ask that you not ignore the warning signs at the railroad crossings. They are there for your safety and your protection.”
Nearly 60 fatalities have been reportedly caused by Brightline trains since mid 2017, most because of drivers going into the path of the trains or walking on the tracks.
Authorities are hoping with the awareness program the numbers will go down.
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