SUV looked ‘like a soft drink can that has been smashed’ after it was struck by the freight train
Amelia Neath |
Six people have died after their SUV was struck by a train while crossing a railroad track in Hillsborough County, Florida.
The incident happened around 6.45pm ET on Saturday when a family, including three children, were on their way to a 15th birthday party at a home across the railroad crossing.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said that seven people were in the white 2020 Cadillac Escalade – including a husband and wife, two children, an adult child and two friends of the children.
All seven are believed to be residents of Plant City, Florida.
Police said that the vehicle was driven onto the tracks in the path of an oncoming train.
At a press conference, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said that “the conductor of the train did everything he could to slow this train down, he signalled these loud train horns that they are all equipped with along with the flashing lights”.
The SUV was struck by the train going at around 55mph, causing it to “catapult and flip violently several times before it landed a distance from this crossing”.
Five of the rear-seat passengers were “violently ejected from the SUV”.
After the car landed, the sheriff said it looked “like a soft drink can that has been smashed”.
It is still “unknown and undetermined” why the driver slowly crossed the tracks directly in the train’s path, police said in a statement.
Comments are closed.