, Fla. — A former Brightline train conductor sued the high-speed train company in federal court, alleging he developed PTSD from his train repeatedly killing drivers and pedestrians.
Darren Brown’s lawsuit said he was involved in six deadly wrecks and four other traumatic incidents, including a time his train was let through a fatal crash scene and ran over the victim’s remains.
Brown said part of his job was to get out of the train, inspect it and confirm a fatality to the company.
His lawsuit said Brightline did not give him appropriate trauma leave, and he was left exhausted by the company’s on-call policies. He said he was forced out of the industry because of his spiraling mental health.
Authoritative psychiatric and legal literature has for years recognized that railroad engineers and conductors frequently develop PTSD after repeated collisions and suicides,” the lawsuit said.
According to the Miami Herald’s count, Brightline trains have been involved in more than 180 fatal crashes since the service launched in 2017.
Brightline has never been found at fault for a crash.
Brown, who is representing himself, is demanding $60 million from Brightline.
Channel 9 has reached out to Brightline and is waiting for a response.
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