The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source: Fox News
Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:30 PM
Amtrak Train Crash Kills 2 Injures Over 100 Near Columbia South Carolina
The South Carolina Emergency Management Division said Amtrak 91 was
traveling from New York to Miami when it collided with the CSX train in
Cayce around 2:35 a.m.
"We have anywhere from scratches and bumps to more severe broken bones,"
Lexington County spokesman Harrison Cahill told reporters.
Amtrak said in a statement the train's lead engine derailed, as did some
passenger cars that was carrying eight crew members and approximately
139 passengers on board. TV footage from the crash scene showed the
aftermath of the collision, with the Amtrak engine on its side and its
front crumpled.
South Carolina Gov. said the two people
killed in the crash were Amtrak personnel and 116 people were taken to
area hospitals.
"We've been to the scene and I would ask this is a Sunday, everyone go
to church and say a prayer for these people involved," he told
reporters.
McMaster said the first engine of the
freight train was "torn up," while the engine on the Amtrak train is
"barely recognizable." The governor added that no one was on the CSX
train at the time of teh crash, and the Amtrak train was estimated to be
going 59 mph.
"Two trains, that's as forceful as can get," he told reporters.
Hospital officials told Fox News they have received nearly 90 patients
from the crash, but most of which have been discharged already.
Lexington Medical Center spokeswoman Jennifer Wilson said the facility
received 27 patients from the crash, all of which had "minor injuries"
and since been discharged.
A spokesperson from Palmetto Health
said they received 62 patients as a result of the crash at three of
their facilities. The health care network said there are two patients
that are expected to be admitted, but most are expected to be released
after they are evaluated and treated.
"The thoughts of all our team members are with the family and friends of
those injured in this accident," Palmetto Health spokesperson Tammie
Epps said. "Palmetto Health is coordinating with local authorities,
Amtrak and the American Red Cross to assist these families in any way
possible."
No immediate information was available about the CSX train, but SCMED
Public Information Officer Derrec Becker told reporters that officials
are working to secure a fuel leak that resulted from the spill.
As of now, 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel has spilled and crews are trying
to secure the leak, according to Becker.
"There is no danger to anyone in the nearby area of Lexington County,"
Becker told "FOX & friends Weekend."
The crash happened near a stretch of tracks by a rail yard about 10
miles south of Columbia, where several track spurs split off for freight
cars to be unloaded.
Authorities said they haven't determined if both trains were moving or
if the Amtrak train was diverted on to a side track.
