The country has been beset by train wrecks, and another one just killed two people and injured at least 70 others in the early hours of Sunday morning. Amtrak Train 91 was running between New York and Miami when the accident occurred.
The Amtrak train carrying 147 people and an CSX freight train collided in South Carolina. The injured have been taken to area hospitals with injuries ranging from broken bones to scratches.
Amtrak released a statement that said the crash happened at approximately 2:35 a.m. The lead engine and some passenger cars jumped the track. Then, 5,,000 gallons of diesel fuel leaked from the cars. The statement indicated that there was “no threat to the public at this time.”
Passenger Derek Pettaway was traveling in one of the rear cars of the train bound for Orlando. He said the crash awakened him. Then, the crew made a pass through the cars “really quickly,” removing passengers from the train. The passenger told CNN:
‘Nobody was panicking. I think people were more in shock than anything else.’
Pettaway went to a nearby hospital, because he received a minor whiplash as a result of the crash, but he had already been discharged. After he was released, the passenger went to a shelter along with other passengers who had only received minor injuries. The authorities used Pine Ridge Middle School to shelter.
The National Transportation Safety Board has already begun an investigation into the dual train crash.
Check out this video of the train wreck:
‘One train car completely flipped over and crushed.’
One train car completely flipped over and crushed. @thestate #sctweets pic.twitter.com/i4dbyP69bP
— Maayan Schechter (@MaayanSchechter) February 4, 2018
Featured Image via The State Newspaper’s Twitter page.
