Brightline executives address safety concerns amid recent deaths

4 people struck by Brightline trains in South Florida since 2017

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Brightline executives addressed safety concerns Friday at a news conference after four people were killed by the company's trains. 

Two of the deaths happened in just a week.

"We are here because safety systems are in place. They work, yet we recognize that we need to amplify the message around safety," Brightline COO Patrick Goddard said. 

After four fatalities on their tracks, Brightline officials want the public to know they are doing everything they can to keep South Florida safe.

"We are going to place safety ambassadors. So we are going to place individuals at the busiest intersections up and down the corridor," Goddard said. 

They also have a trilingual rail safety campaign in all three school districts along the line and have distributed safety information to over 40,000 homes.

"Brightline is going to, starting in the next few days, placing VMS signage to add to that permanent signage," Goddard said. 

Brightline will also expand its PSA campaign and have safety street teams attending community events to spread the word. 

Officials said Brightline Corridor fatalities in 2017 actually went down 45 percent from 2016, but more education needs to be done. 

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has asked the Federal Transportation Board to review Brightline's measures, but the company's COO said that isn't necessary.

"To your knowledge in all four cases -- I know one was a suicide -- but your equipment, Brightline's equipment, was in working order in every one of those situations?" Local 10 News reporter Todd Tongen asked.

"One hundred percent. One hundred percent, Todd," Goddard said. "Everything worked exactly as was intended."