JUST IN: Brightline tracks not safe enough, lawyer for crash victims’ families say

Oct. 17--PALM BEACH GARDENS

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The attorney for two families that had sons and brothers die in Brightline crashes called Tuesday for stricter safety measures along the tracks of the high-speed rail line linking West Palm Beach and Miami.

The system in place is inadequate, said the attorney, Zedrick Barber, noting that the rail line has announced plans to expand service to Orlando even with South Florida's issues with track safety.

"It's clear that there's a problem going on right now in South Florida but, pretty soon, that problem is going to travel from South Florida throughout the state of Florida," Barber said during a news conference Tuesday at his law practice in Palm Beach Gardens.

Seven people have been struck and killed by Brightline trains in Palm Beach County since passenger service began in January. In addition, one other person was killed last year during Brightline's testing phase.

Barber is representing the families of Jeffrey King, who was killed in January in Boynton Beach, and Paul Sandoval, who died last month in Lantana. He said the men's deaths and others could have been prevented with property safety measures.

"You cannot be America's future high speed train with safeguards from the past," Barber said. "We're 2018, there is clearly more that can be done. ...

"There should be more signs, there should be warnings, there should be voice recordings, especially in these areas where they're used to freight trains moving at much slower pace."

A phone message left for a Brightline spokesperson was not returned. However, the company has said in the past that its safety and security team evaluates areas where accidental deaths and suicides occur. The rail line has started a public-awareness program to warn pedestrians to heed lights and crossing gates.

Sandoval, 36, was was killed on the night of Sept. 14 by a northbound Brightline train in Lantana. He was struck at about 10:15 that night at Washington Avenue and South Dixie Highway in Lantana.

According to a Lantana police incident report, Sandoval sat on the tracks as the train approached. A preliminary investigation determined that the crash was an accident pending a final ruling by the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office.

Sandoval's mother, Amelia, said at the news conference that the family disputes the notion that Paul Sandoval was along the train tracks that night to try to kill himself.

"My son was a great person who loved life and all of the experiences life has to offer," she said in reading a statement about the death of her son.

She went onto say her son just recently purchased a new car, gotten a promotion and was preparing to rent a new place.

"Brightline took him from us," Amelia said. "He was new to the area. He did not know the area. (He was) unfamiliar with the landscape and was killed with little to no warning at all."

King, 51, was killed Jan. 17 as he pedaled his bicycle around the gates near the East Ocean Avenue crossing in Boynton Beach. Barber said a pedestrian gate present at that site now was not in place when King was killed.

When asked if the families were considering legal action, Barber said such steps would be considered but the focus now is to push for stricter safety measures.

"My question to Brightline is, 'How many more?' "he asked.

All Aboard Florida, which operates Brightline, is owned by an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group LLC, a global investment management firm. Fortress Investment Group LLC is contracted to manage and advise New Media Investments Inc., which owns GateHouse Media, the parent company of The Palm Beach Post.

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