MELBOURNE, Fla. — Business owner Brian Haire never imagined he would go outside his renovation showroom and find a train accident, much less twice in one week.

What You Need To Know

  • Melbourne police continue to investigate two crashes at the same railroad crossing.

  • National Transportation Safety Board investigating the crashes that took three lives.

  • Business owner says he ran outside to find two different train crashes.

  • NTSB expect to have a preliminary report released in 30 days.

That is what happened Wednesday and then again Friday of last week to a man who owns Property Renovations and Construction located at the corner of U.S. 1 and Jackson streets in Melbourne.

Haire walked us around the railroad tracks where vehicle parts still litter the area.

“This is the second accident. This is part of the white vehicle,” said Haire.

He said during both Brightline crashes that he and his staff were working when each accident occurred.

“I don’t know if it’s people in a hurry or think they can beat the train or trying to get by. But it’s crazy and extraordinary that it was in the same place twice,” said Haire.

The businessman said they heard a loud crashing sound from both instances and ran outside only to find crushed vehicles that were unrecognizable.

One person was killed in the first crash. Two people died in the second one.

“It was tragic. It was unbelievable to see that many emergency response workers responding to an accident,” said Haire.

A Brightline official told Spectrum News 13 that they are urging motorists to go to Brightlinesafety.com where they have a list of safety suggestions for drivers when they approach a crossing.

Our partners at the Orlando Sentinel report the three deaths in Melbourne last week mark at least 108 since it began operations in July 2017.

Brightline tells us that the Melbourne police department is handling the investigation while the National Transportation Safety Board is also looking into the two separate crashes.

NTSB officials were on scene this past weekend investigating the crashes, and a preliminary report should be released in 30 days while a full report may take as long at 12 to 24 months.

The renovation builder says he’s not aware of other train-related incidents occurring behind his company since Brightline started operating service between Orlando and south Florida in September of last year.

Haire hopes people will be more careful when trying to cross and that they will use patience when crossing the intersection behind his business.