A scooter driver was killed after colliding with a Brightline train in Pompano Beach on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, the 200th confirmed death tied to the Miami-Orlando rail line. Above, a Brightline train passes the scene of an earlier collision between another Brightline train and a vehicle near the 14100 block of Biscayne Boulevard in North Miami on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025.
Photo by David Santiago
dsantiago@miamiherald.com
A scooter driver was killed after colliding with a Brightline train early Thursday afternoon in Pompano Beach, deputies say. This marks the 200th confirmed death involving the high-speed rail that connects Miami to Orlando.
Around 12:50 p.m., a 911 caller told dispatchers there was a crash involving a Brightline train near East Copans Road and North Dixie Highway, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies learned the train collided with a scooter.
The scooter’s driver, whose name has yet to be released, was taken by Pompano Beach Fire Rescue to a nearby hospital, where he died. The BSO traffic-homicide unit is investigating the circumstances of the crash, which are still unclear.
A Pompano Beach city official told the Miami Herald the passengers on the train are “OK” and uninjured.
Brightline said it could not comment on the crash.
Since beginning test runs in 2017, Brightline trains have struck and killed at least 200 people in Florida, an investigation by the Miami Herald and WLRN found. The vast majority were pedestrians or bike riders.
READ MORE: Federal bill to reduce rail deaths comes from state with poor record: Florida
Of the 200 dead, 173 were in South Florida: 70 in Broward, 69 in Palm Beach County and 34 in Miami-Dade. About 42% of the deaths have been officially ruled suicides.
Pompano Beach, where Thursday’s fatal collision occurred, has seen 19 deaths, the most of any city in Florida. The railroad crossing where the man was hit has seen four fatalities.
This story was originally published February 19, 2026 at 5:49 PM.
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Miami Herald
Miami Herald Cops and Breaking News Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers a plethora of Florida topics, from breaking news to crime patterns. He was on the breaking news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida, born and raised in Miami-Dade. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office.