(WSVN) - A former Brightline conductor is speaking out about his struggles dealing with the troubling trend of deadly crashes on the train tracks.
In an interview with Inside Edition, Darren Brown said he still struggles coping with the fact that so many people were killed in crashes involving trains he conducted for the high-speed rail company.
“In six years, I’ve had 16 fatalities,” he said.
Brown believes more fencing around the tracks would go a long way in preventing further tragedies from happening.
“Where this fence ends, there’s not another fence for over 20 miles,” said Brown. “There just needs to be more fencing in more congested areas.”
The troubling trend of people and cars being struck by Brightline trains causing some to call it “the most dangerous train in the nation.”
With trains capable of reaching up to 125 miles per hour, the crashes often lead to deadly consequences.
Just last month, a grandmother was captured on camera driving around the crossing arms just before being struck by a Brightline train. That driver did not survive.
A group of grieving family members said they all had relatives who were walking on the tracks when they were struck and killed by a Brightline train.
Attorney Todd Baker represents the families and agrees with Brown, arguing Brightline needs to do more to improve safety around the tracks.
“What can you do, you can make it safe enough, you can make it mistake-proof, and if you make it mistake-proof, no one’s dying,” said Baker.
When asked by Inside Edition what their message to Brightline would be, one family member said: “Protect the lives of the people that live around your track, don’t they matter?”
Brightline has not been found at fault for any deaths that have happened on the tracks, both with people walking on them and driving across them.
In a statement, the company says it follows all federal rail guidelines and has continued to implement additional safety improvements. It also says all of the deadly train strikes were “the result of illegal, deliberate and oftentimes, reckless behavior by people putting themselves in harm’s way.”
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