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1 killed, several hospitalized after Brightline train collides with SUV in Melbourne

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Injuries reported after a Brightline train struck a vehicle in Melbourne (Brevard County Fire Rescue)

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A man was killed and three passengers were injured after their SUV was struck by a Brightline train on Wednesday afternoon, according to Melbourne Police and Brevard County Fire Rescue.

The Melbourne Police Department said they responded to the area of W.H. Jackson Street and the railroad tracks just west of South Harbor City Boulevard regarding a vehicle versus train crash around 2 p.m.

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According to a news release, officers said a Honda Element SUV was traveling north on W.H. Jackson Street and struck a northbound Brightline train operating on the western most railway.

Police said four people were in the SUV and the man driving the vehicle “succumbed to his injuries sustained by the impact from the train.”

Melbourne police said the driver was 62-year-old Charles Julian Phillips. The three passengers were 48-year-old Keisha Belingei Gonzalez, 44-year-old Terricha Culbreth and a 9-year-old child.

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According to the release, it is unknown if drugs or alcohol was a factor in the crash and the identities of those involved are still being confirmed.

Melbourne police asks that if you have any information regarding this investigation to call Traffic Homicide Investigator Officer Costello at 321-608-6731.

The crash remains under investigation.


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About the Author
Jacob Langston headshot

Jacob joined ClickOrlando.com in 2022. He spent 19 years at the Orlando Sentinel, mostly as a photojournalist and video journalist, before joining Spectrum News 13 as a web editor and digital journalist in 2021.

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