OAN’s Abril Elfi
12:01 PM – Sunday, September 24, 2023
Six people were killed, including three children, when a train collided with an SUV at a railroad crossing in Florida.
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On Saturday, three adults and three children were killed on their way to a birthday party when their family SUV collided with a freight train.
According to Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, 7 people were on their way to a quinceañera when they drove up and stumbled upon a railroad crossing in Plant City, Florida, that had a stop sign and a railroad crossing sign but no crossing arms or warning bell.
“The word devastating doesn’t even begin to describe the tragedy that unfolded here,” Chronister said.
He went on to explain that investigators analyzed video evidence that showed the SUV pull up to the tracks and “slow crawl” across without pausing.
Chronister also said that the train’s conductor attempted to slow down and even blared its horn, and a witness in another nearby vehicle honked to catch the driver’s attention before the crash occurred at about 6:45 p.m.
“As you can imagine the carnage that’s created when these two collide,” he said. “The SUV we can see from the video begins to catapult and flip violently several times before it’s landed a distance from this crossing.”
Additionally, he said that the car looked like a “soft drink can that’s been smashed” after impact.
Reportedly, there were no crossing arms or sirens at the crossing since it was on a road in a less-traveled region.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the victims who lost their lives were an adult man, two adult women, and three minors. A sixth adult died in the hospital overnight, and another adult was badly injured, however, he survived and is now in critical condition.
Guillermo E. Gama III, the 23-year-old front-seat passenger, is currently at the hospital awaiting tests and recuperating from the accident.
The victims were identified as Jose G. Hernandez, 52, and passengers Enedelia Hernandez, 50, Jakub A. Lopez, 17, Alyssa Hernandez, 17, Anaelia Hernandez, 22, and Julian Hernandez, 9.
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