A person died Monday morning after being struck by what appeared to be a cargo train near Rodman Street along South Dixie Highway in Hollywood, Florida. The crash temporarily blocked all railroad crossings into neighboring Hallandale Beach as crime scene investigators combed the area for evidence.
According to WPLG Local 10, authorities had not released the identity of the person killed and had not provided additional details about what led up to the collision as of Monday. Crime scene investigators searched the area and took photographs while the scene remained active, and railroad crossings reopened only after investigators cleared the tracks. Authorities said they were still working to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the death, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The stretch of track runs along the Florida East Coast Railway corridor, a busy dual-track line that parallels South Dixie Highway and carries both FEC cargo freight and high-speed Brightline passenger trains through Broward County's densely packed neighborhoods, according to WLRN. That corridor's frequent, closely spaced street-level crossings have made it one of the more dangerous rail sections in the region.
A Recurring Pattern Along the Tracks
Monday's death was not an isolated event. Just a week earlier, on August 2, a pedestrian was struck and killed by a train along North Dixie Highway and Northeast Second Street in nearby Pompano Beach, WPLG Local 10 reported at the time. And in Hollywood Boulevard's own fatal collision this past April, a man was struck and killed by a train, prompting Hollywood Police to open a death investigation and reroute passenger service.
Prior to late 2025, sixteen people had already been struck and killed by trains within Hollywood's city limits, giving the city the second-highest local death toll along Broward County's rail corridor, per WLRN's reporting. Broward County as a whole recorded 51 train collisions at railroad grade crossings between 2022 and 2024, the outlet found, underscoring how frequently the county's roadways intersect with active tracks.
Florida's Outsized Share of Rail Deaths
The Hollywood fatality also fits into a broader statewide trend. Federal Railroad Administration data for 2025, compiled by Operation Lifesaver, ranked Florida third nationwide in rail trespassing casualties, with 65 trespasser fatalities and 86 total casualties recorded statewide. Separately, a statewide traffic analysis released in May found that pedestrian crashes make up just 2.9% of Florida's total traffic incidents but account for more than 20% of all traffic fatalities, with Broward County posting a 4.5% pedestrian fatality rate per crash, according to USA Today.
Part of the danger stems from how trains move through this corridor. Under Federal Railroad Administration rules, engineers operating through multi-jurisdictional quiet zones, which include both Hollywood and Hallandale Beach, are generally barred from sounding horns at crossings unless they spot a trespasser or hazard on the tracks. The quiet zones were established to cut down on noise for nearby residents, but the tradeoff has fueled ongoing debate over whether reduced horn warnings compromise pedestrian safety.
Who Is Responsible for Crossing Safety
Florida law divides responsibility for the state's 3,565 public at-grade crossings between multiple parties. Under Florida Statute 335.141, railroad companies must maintain crossbucks and warning signs, while local municipalities are responsible for advance highway signs and pavement markings, according to a report filed with the Florida Senate. Even with that framework in place, individual pedestrians ultimately bear responsibility for exercising caution near the tracks.
Federal and state agencies have already committed significant money toward physical fixes. In 2024, officials allocated $25 million from a federal RAISE grant to build 33 miles of fencing, centerline delineators, and exit gates along 195 miles of the Florida East Coast Railway line across South Florida, aiming to seal off high-risk pedestrian access points. Despite that investment, deaths have continued to mount along the corridor, including a fatal Brightline strike in Hallandale Beach in March and another in Deerfield Beach the same month.
As with those earlier cases, police investigations into train strikes typically take weeks to formally classify whether an incident was an accidental trespass, a crossing violation, or something else. For now, Hollywood investigators have released no further details on Monday's victim, and the cause of the encounter with the train remains unresolved.
