2 Amtrak workers killed, 116 hurt in South Carolina

CAYCE, S.C. -- An Amtrak passenger train slammed into a freight train parked on a side track in South Carolina early Sunday, killing two Amtrak crew members and injuring more than 110 people, authorities said. It was the third deadly wreck involving Amtrak in less than two months.

The Silver Star was on its way from New York to Miami with nearly 150 people aboard around 2:45 a.m. when it plowed into the CSX train at an estimated 59 mph, Gov. Henry McMaster said. The crash happened around a switchyard about 10 miles (16 kilometres) south of Columbia.

The governor said investigators have yet to determine how the Amtrak train ended up on that stretch of track.

“The CSX was on the track it was supposed to be on,” McMaster said.

The National Transportation Safety Board sent investigators to the scene.

In an emailed statement, Amtrak said that it was “deeply saddened” by the deaths and that it was co-operating fully with the NTSB. It did not address the cause of the crash but said CSX maintains all of the tracks and signal systems where the accident happened and controls access to the sidings and yards.

CSX did not immediately return an email and telephone call.

The conductor and engineer aboard the Amtrak locomotive were killed, the coroner’s office said. And 116 people were taken to four hospitals, according to the governor.

The main trauma hospital in the area had three patients in critical or serious condition, with the rest treated for minor injuries such as cuts, bruises and whiplash, said Dr. Steve Shelton, Palmetto Health director of emergency preparedness.

The locomotives of both trains were left crumpled, the Amtrak engine on its side. One car in the middle of the Amtrak train was snapped in half, forming a V off to one side of the tracks.

“It’s a horrible thing to see, to understand the force involved,” McMaster said after touring the scene.

Many passengers were asleep with the train began shaking violently and then slammed to a halt, passenger Derek Pettaway told CBS.

“You knew we’d hit something or we’d derailed,” he said.

Elliot Smith said he was staying with a friend when they heard what sounded like a propane tank exploding.

“The sound was so loud, you instantly knew it was bad,” he said. Smith said he and his friend saw passengers limping along the tracks, while others tried to get everyone out of the cars.”