A pedestrian was struck and killed by a Brightline train Sunday afternoon in Port St. Lucie, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office. Deputies responded at approximately 1:10 p.m. to the railroad tracks about a mile north of Walton Road, near Savannas Preserve State Park, after a report of a person struck by the train.
Preliminary information indicates that a northbound train struck a person who entered the path of the approaching train, according to WPBF. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation, and the sheriff's office said its thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the victim's family and friends.
The tracks, which run east of U.S. 1, are operated by Florida East Coast Railway, and freight trains also use the same route. The station notes that some other northbound trains were affected by the incident, though the extent of the resulting delays has not been detailed.
A Stretch of Track With No Stops
Brightline trains travel between Miami and Orlando, with the company having extended service from West Palm Beach to a new station at Orlando International Airport in September 2023. There are currently no train stations between West Palm Beach and Orlando, even though the corridor runs directly through St. Lucie County. Plans exist for a Brightline station in downtown Stuart, but that project faces significant funding and operational hurdles, per the same report.
Speed is part of what makes this stretch of track notable. Brightline trains reach maximum operating speeds of 110 mph from West Palm Beach to Cocoa, climbing to as much as 125 mph on the dedicated track between Cocoa and Orlando International Airport, compared with a maximum of 79 mph on the segment between Miami and West Palm Beach.
A Recurring Toll on the Treasure Coast
Sunday's death adds to a troubling pattern along this corridor. A Tampa Bay Times report found that at least 220 people have been killed by Brightline trains in Florida since the service launched in 2018. On the Treasure Coast specifically, the tally of Brightline-caused fatalities climbed to seven after a pedestrian was struck and killed in March 2025, according to TCPalm's Brightline database, which also noted that incident marked the fourth Brightline-related event in the region that year.
St. Lucie County has seen fatal strikes before. In a separate incident, a northbound Brightline train fatally struck a person just north of Midway Road, and the sheriff's office identified that victim as a trespasser while the investigation remained ongoing, WPBF reported. Elsewhere on the network, the Associated Press reported that Brightline's Orlando extension saw its first pedestrian fatality in September 2023, not long after the new route opened.
No additional details about Sunday's victim have been released, and investigators have not said what led the person onto the tracks. The sheriff's office said the investigation into the circumstances is continuing.
