Brightline train crash in Melbourne leaves 1 dead, 3 hurt, officials say
MELBOURNE, Fla. - One person is dead, and three people are injured after a Honda Element SUV crashed into a Brightline train in Melbourne on Wednesday afternoon, according to police.
A child is among the injured people currently being treated at a local hospital, police said. The extent of their injuries was not immediately known. The adult male driver succumbed to his injuries sustained by the impact of the train.
The man who died has been identified as 62-year-old Charles Julian Phillips of Melbourne.
Police said it is unknown if alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash.
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The Melbourne Police Department said they're working an active scene near W.H. Jackson and U.S. Highway 1, past downtown Melbourne, which was shut down due to the crash that happened around 2 p.m.
It remains unclear at this time if the railroad crossing arms were down when the crash happened and just how fast the train was going at the time of the crash.
"It's unfortunate, and we don’t want things like this to happen, so we’re going to have to do the investigation to find out what caused it, how it happened, and why, and then look at the steps we can take to try and prevent it from happening in the future," Sgt. Benjamin Slover of the Melbourne Police Department told FOX 35.
Identities of all persons involved are currently being confirmed, police said, and will be released at a later time.
FOX 35 has a crew at the scene. We've reached out to Brightline for comment.
This is a developing story.