A person was left with critical injuries Friday afternoon after being struck by a train near the intersection of Atlantic Boulevard and Kings Avenue in Jacksonville's San Marco neighborhood. The victim was taken to a hospital following the collision, and authorities have not released further details about the circumstances.
The incident was first reported by News4JAX, which credited KPRC2 for the account. By the time a News4JAX photographer arrived at the scene, it had already been cleared, and no additional information about the victim's identity or condition has been made public.
A Rail Corridor Cutting Through a Busy Commercial Core
The tracks running through that intersection belong to the Florida East Coast Railway, a 351-mile freight corridor that threads through some of Jacksonville's densest neighborhoods, according to The Jaxson. The rail line has cut through the San Marco area since the 1890s, back when the district was still the separate City of South Jacksonville, before it was consolidated into Jacksonville proper, per the same outlet's reporting on the neighborhood's history.
That layout means heavy freight trains regularly pass through a commercial hub packed with pedestrians, drivers, and businesses. San Marco has seen the tension between rail operations and public safety play out before. In April 2015, a stopped freight train caused citywide gridlock for more than an hour across Kings Avenue, San Marco Boulevard, and Atlantic Boulevard, forcing Jacksonville Fire-Rescue to reroute ambulances headed to a downtown hospital, as previously reported by News4JAX.
Statewide Numbers Underscore the Risk
Florida's rail crossings carry outsized danger compared to much of the country. Preliminary 2025 federal data published by Operation Lifesaver found the state recorded 66 total railroad trespassing casualties, including 51 deaths, ranking Florida fourth nationally in that category. A Florida Senate legislative analysis from February found that 88 percent of highway-rail grade crossing accidents statewide between 2013 and 2022 involved someone stopping on the crossing, driving or walking around gates, or failing to stop altogether — human-factor patterns that prompted lawmakers to introduce SB 1310 this year to push for better automated crossing detection.
State law also spells out clear obligations for anyone near an active crossing. Florida Statute § 316.1575 requires pedestrians and drivers to stop between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail whenever gates, signals, or an approaching train warn of danger. Separately, unauthorized entry onto active railroad property is criminal trespass under Florida Statute § 810.09, a second-degree misdemeanor carrying up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine, while intentionally obstructing tracks can bring third-degree felony charges under a different statute.
Jacksonville's Recent Run of Train Tragedies
Friday's collision adds to a string of serious rail incidents Hoodline has tracked across the region this year. In July, a recovery advocate was killed by an Amtrak train after a driver bypassed lowered crossing arms on Roosevelt Boulevard. In March, a fatal pedestrian strike was reported along the same regional rail corridor in neighboring St. Johns County. San Marco itself has also seen violence tied to its tracks before: in August 2023, two women were fatally shot near the crossing while waiting for a passing train, with one victim's vehicle coasting into the side of the moving train near Hendricks Avenue.
Nationally, Federal Railroad Administration data compiled by Operation Lifesaver showed 262 fatalities and 763 injuries resulting from 2,261 highway-rail grade crossing collisions in 2024, figures that have stayed relatively steady for roughly two decades. Duval County alone logged 39,829 traffic accidents in 2023, according to Florida Department of Transportation District 2 crash reporting, with statewide data showing nearly 80 percent of pedestrian fatalities occur in dark conditions and about two-thirds happen outside marked crosswalks.
No other details about Friday's incident, including the victim's identity or current condition, have been released. Hoodline will update this story as more information becomes available.
