“I don’t understand why there’s not a lot more safety features. How many people have to die?” Eric Hirt’s widow, Shawn Hirt, said in response to his death
NEED TO KNOW
- Eric Hirt, a celebrated Miami graffiti artist, was fatally struck by a Brightline train in Biscayne Park, Fla., on May 13
- Hirt’s wife criticized what she claimed was a lack of safety measures near the tracks and created a GoFundMe to support their family
- Brightline trains, known for their high speeds, have been linked to over 200 fatalities on or near the railroad tracks since beginning operations in 2017; in a statement, Brightline noted that “none of the incidents along the railroad have been the result of improper train handling by Brightline personnel or failure of our equipment or infrastructure”
A popular graffiti artist was fatally struck by a Brightline train in Florida, local officials say.
On May 13, Eric Alan Hirt, 47, was struck and killed at 12:26 a.m. local time while walking on the tracks in Biscayne Park, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO) Detective Joseph Peguero said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. Eric was hit by an oncoming Brightline train, the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed, according to The Miami Herald.
The Brightline train is one of two high-speed trains in the U.S., traveling as fast as 125 miles per hour. The train began test runs in 2017. Since then, there have been over 200 fatalities associated with Brightline trains that took place near or on the tracks, with Hirt’s marking the 206th death, according to a joint investigation conducted by WLRN and The Miami Herald. Brightline has not been found responsible or held liable for any of the deaths…