Two killed in crash involving Amtrak train, freight train

TWO people were killed in a crash involving a freight train and an Amtrak passenger train early Sunday in South Carolina, authorities said.

In addition to the fatalities, at least 70 people were injured and transported to local hospitals, Lexington County spokesman Harrison Cahill said.

They suffered injuries ranging from scratches to broken bones, Cahill added.

Amtrak Train 91 was traveling between New York and Miami with 147 people aboard when it collided with a CSX freight train in Cayce at about 2:35 a.m.

The lead engine and some passenger cars derailed, Amtrak said in a statement.

About 5,000 gallons of fuel was spilled, authorities estimated, but Cahill said there was “no threat to the public at the time.”

Derek Pettaway was a passenger in one of the train’s rear cars, headed for Orlando, he told CNN on Sunday morning. He was awoken by the impact, and the crew came through the cars “really quickly” and got everybody off the train.

“Nobody was panicking,” Pettaway said. “I think people were more in shock than anything else.”

Pettaway was discharged from a hospital with minor whiplash, he said. From there, he went to a shelter for passengers who didn’t suffer serious injuries at Pine Ridge Middle School.

The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation.

This is the latest incident involving an Amtrak train in the past few weeks.

In December, an Amtrak train derailed near DuPont in Washington state and hurtled off an overpass onto Interstate 5, killing three people. The Amtrak engineer on that train told investigators he mistook a signal and braked moments before the deadly crash, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Last week, an Amtrak train carrying members of Congress to a Republican retreat in West Virginia struck a truck near Charlottesville, Virginia. Investigators looking into the crash are focusing on the actions of the driver of a truck, a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.