INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A 40-year-old woman walking along the railroad tracks near 12th Street was clipped by a Brightline train, leaving her with serious injuries to her right arm, sheriff’s officials said. The woman was taken to an area trauma center for treatment.
“(She) appears to be a homeless subject,” said Lt. Kevin Jaworski, a spokesperson for the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. Jaworski said deputies applied a tourniquet to the injured woman’s arm.
The incident happened about 6:04 p.m. at the railroad tracks behind Publix Super Market at 12th Street Plaza, Jaworski said. It was not immediately clear which direction the high-speed passenger train was traveling.
No one aboard the train was injured, Jaworski said. The road was not closed from the crash.
The woman was flown to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce, said Steve Greer, assistant chief with Indian River County Fire Rescue. Jaworski said there is a homeless camp in the area that was previously cleared out when the tracks were installed.
Deputies and officials with Florida East Coast Railway were investigating the collision. This is the first crash involving Brightline to occur this year in Indian River County and the fifth overall for the area.
