From Yahoo News - Associated Press Report - Monday August 21 10:05 AM ET
Amtrak Train Derails in S.C.
LAKE CITY, S.C. (AP) - Nine cars of an Amtrak passenger train derailed Monday in downtown Lake City and 10 to 20 people were taken to hospitals.
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| Officials confer with each other near the area where cars from an Amtrak train derailed Monday, Aug. 21, 2000, in downtown Lake City, S.C. Nine cars of Amtrak's Silver Meteor passenger train derailed Monday in downtown Lake City on tracks that had been damaged by a street sweeper. Forty people were taken to hospitals. Their injuries were "little bumps and bruises'' and none was serious, said Highway Patrol 1st Sgt. Jo Nell. (AP Photo/Lou Krasky) |
The injuries were not believed to be serious, said Kristy Hughes, spokeswoman
for the Florence County emergency preparedness office.
The train derailed at about 7:30 a.m. near the Lake City Police Department.
There was no immediate indication what caused the derailment, Hughes said.
Amtrak representatives in Washington said officials were still trying to piece together details of the accident and they did not know the name of the train or where it was headed.
Hughes did not know how many people were on the train. Red Cross spokesman Laura Jeffords said at least 185 uninjured people were being taken to a shelter.
The injured were taken to hospitals in Lake City and Florence, Hughes said.
Lake City is a town of 5,000 to 10,000 people, about 70 miles east of Columbia in northeastern South Carolina.
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From Yahoo News - Associated Press Report - Monday August 21 10:39 AM ET
Amtrak Train Derails in S.C.
No Serious Injuries in Derailment
LAKE CITY, S.C. (AP) - Nine cars of an Amtrak passenger train derailed Monday in downtown Lake City on tracks that had been bent by a street sweeper. Ten to 20 people were taken to hospitals.
The injuries were ``little bumps and bruises'' and none was serious, said Highway Patrol 1st Sgt. Jo Nell.
The train derailed at about 7:30 a.m. near the Lake City Police Department.
``It kind of shook my house,'' said Velvadene Marsh, who lives near the site. ``I thought it was a plane, but when I ran out back, I didn't see anything.''
About 15 minutes earlier, Nell said, a street sweeper had jumped a curb and bent the railroad tracks.
The engine did not derail, but nine cars following it did, Nell said. At least two of the cars had toppled on their sides, said resident Darcy Brown, who lives nearby.
Amtrak representatives in Washington said officials were still trying to piece together details of the accident and they did not know the name of the train or where it was headed.
Nell said about 200 people were on the train. Red Cross spokesman Laura Jeffords said at least 185 uninjured people were taken to a shelter.
The injured were taken to hospitals in Lake City and Florence.
Lake City is a town of about 7,000 people, some 70 miles east of Columbia in northeastern South Carolina.
From Yahoo News - Associated Press Report - Monday August 21 12:49 PM ET
Amtrak Train Derails in S.C.
LAKE CITY, S.C. (AP) - Nine cars of Amtrak's Silver Meteor passenger train derailed Monday in downtown Lake City on tracks that had been damaged by a street sweeper.
Forty people were taken to hospitals. Their injuries were ``little bumps and bruises'' and none was serious, said Highway Patrol 1st Sgt. Jo Nell.
The train, headed from New York to Jacksonville, Fla., derailed around 7:30 a.m. near the police department, about two blocks north of the main business district.
``It kind of shook my house,'' said Velvadene Marsh, who lives near the site. ``I thought it was a plane, but when I ran out back, I didn't see anything.''
About 15 minutes earlier, Nell said, a street sweeper had jumped a curb and bent the railroad tracks.
Several of the cars leaned into a gully along the tracks, while others remained upright. Two sleeping cars, four coach cars, a dining car, a lounge and a crew dorm jumped the tracks, Amtrak said. Two other cars did not derail.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators headed to the scene.
There were 218 passengers and 15 crew members on board, Amtrak said.
Red Cross spokesman Laura Jeffords said at least 185 uninjured people were taken to a shelter. Amtrak said it would arrange alternate transportation.
The injured were taken to hospitals in Lake City and Florence.
Lake City is a town of about 7,000 people, some 70 miles east of Columbia in northeastern South Carolina
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From Yahoo News - Associated Press Report - Monday August 21 9:22 PM ET
Amtrak Train Derails in S.C.
LAKE CITY, S.C. (AP) - One minute, Barbara Clark was having a cup of coffee early Monday in the dining car of Amtrak's Silver Meteor. In the next moment, the car was thrown off the tracks, coming to rest at a 45-degree angle.
``We heard this click-like sound, and then the train shifted. We knew it. We just knew it and we just grabbed onto the table,'' said Clark, 60, of Sanford, Fla. ``We heard the wheels coming off the track. There is a sound it makes; I don't know how to tell you. It was horrible.''
Nine cars of the Silver Meteor, from New York to Jacksonville, Fla., derailed at about 7:30 a.m., about 15 minutes after a street sweeper jumped a curb and hit the tracks, damaging the rails, said Highway Patrol 1st Sgt. Jo Nell. More than 40 people were sent to hospitals, mostly with ``little bumps and bruises,'' Nell said.
Two sleeping cars, four coach cars, a dining car, a lounge and a crew dorm jumped the tracks, Amtrak said. A wheel of the engine also left the rails. Two other cars did not derail.
The National Transportation Safety Board was looking into the cause of the derailment.
``We do know there was a sweeper operating,'' NTSB investigator Jay Kivowitz said. ``We cannot say at this time that was the cause of this accident.''
There were 218 passengers and 15 crew members on board, Amtrak said. At least 46 were taken to hospitals for treatment.
Clark injured her ribs and had to be lifted out of the tilted car through a window on a stretcher. She was taken to a hospital for X-rays and then released.
``You have some angels in this town. They gathered here this morning,'' she said. Lake City is a town of about 7,000 people, about 70 miles east of Columbia in northeastern South Carolina.
Larry Hewitt, who was traveling to Beaufort, said he was able to open an emergency window and climb out. He likened it to climbing through a skylight in a ceiling.
``I heard a few funny noises, and I felt it was tilting. I knew what was going on,'' he said.
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Tuesday August 22 6:14 AM ET
Amtrak Derailment Probed in S.C.
LAKE CITY, S.C. (AP) - Investigators trying to determine why an Amtrak train derailed on its way to Florida have focused their initial attention on a street sweeper.
Nine cars of the Silver Meteor, traveling from New York to Jacksonville, Fla., derailed early Monday, sending more than 40 people to hospitals.
Highway Patrol 1st Sgt. Jo Nell said about 15 minutes before the train passed, a street sweeper from Southco Sweeping & Maintenance had jumped a curb and hit the tracks, damaging the rails.
``We do know there was a sweeper operating,'' said Jay Kivowitz, investigator in charge for the National Transportation Safety Board. ``We cannot say at this time that was the cause of this accident.''
Two sleeping cars, four coach cars, a dining car, a lounge and a crew dorm jumped the tracks, Amtrak said. A wheel of the engine also left the rails. Two other cars did not derail.
Most of the injuries were ``little bumps and bruises,'' Nell said.
There were 218 passengers and 15 crew members on board, Amtrak said. At least 46 were taken to hospitals for treatment. All those treated had been released by Monday night, hospital spokeswomen said.
Barbara Clark injured her ribs and had to be lifted out of the tilted car through a window on a stretcher. She was taken to a hospital for X-rays and then released.
``You have some angels in this town. They gathered here this morning,'' she said. Lake City is a town of about 7,000 people, about 70 miles east of Columbia in northeastern South Carolina.
Amtrak arranged to take passengers to Florence or Charleston to continue their trips. Other trains that use the single track through Lake City will be routed through Columbia or Andrews, said Kathy Burns, a spokeswoman for CSX Corp., which owns the track.
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National Railroad Passenger Corporation
60 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E., Fourth Floor
Washington, D.C. 20002-4285
http://www.amtrak.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kevin Johnson
312-655-3118
Karina Van Veen
202-906-3860
August 21, 2000 1 p.m. EDT
AMTRAK TEAM PROVIDING CUSTOMER CARE AT SITE OF ACCIDENT
No life-threatening injuries reported
WASHINGTON -Amtrak officials at the site of the derailment of train number 97, the southbound Silver Meteor in Lake City, S.C., report that none of the 218 guests and 15 crew members on board suffered life-threatening injuries as a result of this morning’s derailment. Those on board who required medical attention were taken to three Florence area hospitals, Carolinas Hospital System, Occupational Health Center, and McLeod Regional Medical Center.
Amtrak has mobilized a customer response team at the scene to assist and comfort guests and crewmembers. Those guests not requiring medical attention have been taken to a local school where they are being served lunch in the gymnasium. Amtrak is making arrangements for alternate transportation for guests to their destinations. Family members and friends may call a special hotline – 1-800-523-9101 - for information on loved ones.
Due to the quick response of the Lake City Fire Department and local emergency medical crews, the train was evacuated shortly after the accident. Amtrak commends these local heroes for their quick response.
Amtrak guests traveling through South Carolina should anticipate some delays and cancellations as all guests will be rerouted around the accident site.
Both the northbound and southbound Auto Trains, between Lorton, Va., and Sanford, Fla., have been cancelled today.
To divert traffic around the accident site, guests aboard the southbound Silver Palm, and the northbound Silver Meteor will be bused between Florence, S.C., and Charleston, S.C. Amtrak will provide these guests with complimentary beverages and snacks during their bus ride.
Guests who are scheduled to travel through the area today and tomorrow will be notified of the service change. This includes informing guests that a portion of their journey may include a bus ride.
Train number 90, the northbound Silver Palm will detour around the site, resulting in a significant delay.
The cause of the accident is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board with assistance from the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak, and CSX Transportation, Inc., which owns, maintains, and dispatches trains over the tracks on which the Silver Meteor was traveling.