CAYCE, S.C. -- At least two people were killed and 116 others injured when a train traveling from New York to Miami struck a freight train Sunday morning, authorities said. The crash left thousands of gallons of oil spilled at the scene near Columbia, South Carolina.
The collision occurred in Cayce around 2:45 a.m. Sunday, Lexington County spokesperson Harrison Cahill said. He said the passenger injuries ranged from scratches to broken bones.
The two victims were later identified as Amtrak personnel. Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said 54-year-old engineer Michael Kempf and 32-year-old conductor Michael Sella were killed in the collision.
"Any time you have anything that happens like that, you expect more fatalities," Fisher said, "but God blessed us, and we only had the two."
There were approximately 148 people aboard the Amtrak Train 91, including 139 passengers and eight crew members. The train was going an estimated 59 mph when it struck the empty CSX train around 2:45 a.m., Gov. Henry McMaster said.
The crash happened near a switchyard where railcars hauling automobiles are loaded and unloaded.
Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said investigators found a switch had been set in a position that forced the Amtrak train off the main track and onto the siding. He said the question for investigators is why that happened.
AP
Amtrak President Richard Anderson appeared to point the finger at CSX, saying the signal system run by the freight railroad at that spot was down at the time, and CSX dispatchers were manually routing trains. The NTSB said it was working to confirm that.
CSX issued a statement expressing condolences but said nothing about the cause of the accident.
Sumwalt said that positive train control -- a GPS-based safety system that can automatically slow or stop trains -- could have prevented the accident.
"That's what it's designed to do," he said, referring to technology that regulators have been pressing for for decades with mixed success.
Investigators recovered a camera from the front of the Amtrak train and were looking for the data recorders from the two trains.
The switch that triggered the crash was padlocked in position, which conductors are supposed to do when they move a train from one line to another, Sumwalt said. Authorities said the freight train spilled 5,000 gallons of fuel, but hazmat teams were dispatched to the scene and determined the leak was not a danger to the public.
Amtrak said the lead engine and a few passenger cars derailed. The crash happened near a stretch of tracks by a rail yard about 10 miles south of Columbia, where several track spurs split off for freight cars to be unloaded.
Passenger Derek Pettaway told CBS News that he was sleeping when the train began "shaking violently" before coming to a sudden halt. "You knew we'd hit something or we'd derailed," Pettaway said over the phone. "The Amtrak crew was really great. They responded quickly and got everyone off the train."
Elliot Smith told Columbia newspaper The State he was at a friend's house when they heard what sounded like a propane tank exploding. Smith and his friend walked to the crash site and saw passengers of all ages beginning to exit the train.
"The sound was so loud, you instantly knew it was bad," Smith said.
CBS News
"More people were shocked than shaken from the crash," Pettaway said from the local Red Cross shelter where other train passengers were being transported.
President Trump has been briefed on the crash and is receiving regular updates, Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters said Sunday morning. Mr. Trump, who is currently at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, tweeted his condolences to the victims.
"My thoughts and prayers are with all of the victims involved in this mornings train collision in South Carolina," he tweeted. "Thank you to our incredible First Responders for the work they've done!"
The crash comes several days after an Amtrak train carrying Republican members of Congress hit a garbage truck in Virginia. One of the truck's passengers was killed in the collision.
And on Dec. 18, an Amtrak train ran off the rails along a curve during its inaugural run on a route south of Tacoma, Washington, killing three people and injuring dozens. It was going nearly 80 mph, more than twice the speed limit.
After the latest crash, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D- Conn., said the nation's railroads must be made safer, declaring, "Business as usual must end." He said proven technology, including positive train control, cannot continue to be delayed.
The latest wreck again raised criticism about the safety culture of the nation's passenger railway.
With the string of crashes, "it's becoming almost like an epidemic for Amtrak," said Najmedin Meshkati, a University of Southern California engineering professor who has studied positive train control.
The worst rail tragedy in recent South Carolina history took place in 2005 when a freight engineer parked a train on a side track near a textile mill in Graniteville and forgot to flip the switch back to keep trains on the main track.
A freight train passing through went barreling down the side track and slammed into the parked train, killing nine people, most of them millworkers choked by chorine gas that leaked from a damaged tanker car.
(CNN) Sunday's train collision in South Carolina was the fourth fatal incident involving an Amtrak train since the start of December.
The circumstances surrounding each crash vary; in two cases, vehicles appear to have driven around the lowered arm at a train crossing. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating three of the collisions, including Sunday's.
Here is what we know about the fatal incidents:
South Carolina
Local officials said 116 people were injured and taken to local hospitals. Eight crew members and 139 passengers were on the Miami, Florida-bound train, Amtrak said.
The victims were identified as train engineer Michael Kempf, 54, of Savannah, Georgia, and a conductor, Michael Cella, 36 of Orange Park, Florida, according to Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher.
A Miami, Florida-bound Amtrak train collided with a freight train early Sunday in South Carolina
Amtrak Train 91 was heading southbound and should have continued straight along the tracks, but the rail switch had been manually set to send the train onto the rail siding, where the CSX train was parked, NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said Sunday.
"Key to that investigation is learning why that switch was lined that way," Sumwalt said.
Sumwalt said the crash could have been avoided if positive train control or PTC technology, which can automatically slow down a speeding train, had been in place.
Amtrak President and CEO Richard Anderson said the railroad is owned by CSX, which has complete control of the track, signals and switching where the crash occurred.
The CEO says the CSX dispatch center was manually directing the Amtrak train using telephone communications because the signal system along that section of the track was down.
Virginia
An Amtrak train carrying Congressional members , including House Speaker Paul Ryan, to a Republican retreat in West Virginia struck a garbage truck near Charlottesville, Virginia on Wednesday, killing at least one person.
JUST WATCHED One dead after train hits garbage truck Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH One dead after train hits garbage truck 00:51
Eyewitnesses have told NTSB investigators the truck driver was seen trying to snake his way through the crossing gates, despite signals that included lights warning of the oncoming train, two sources with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.
Anderson told reporters on Sunday that the garbage truck bypassed the crossing signals in the Virginia collision. He said Amtrak and transportation and rail officials have to invest more in technology to make the crossings safer and educate people about them.
"The issue you had last week was highlighted because there were many Congressmen on that train," he told reporters. "But I can tell you that happens almost every day somewhere in America ... and it has to do with people trying to drive around the arms that are down -- just like this garbage truck did -- and ignoring the bells and whistles that are telling you to stop because a train's coming."
"What I just want to reaffirm is that Amtrak is fully committed and values safety as its highest priority," Anderson added.
North Carolina
Eugene Lyons, a pastor, and his wife, Dorothy, were killed in Nash County, North Carolina, when an Amtrak train hit their SUV on January 14, CNN affiliate WNCN reported. Both were in their 60s. It appears the SUV had driven around the lowered crossing arm, WNCN reported.
Whitakers police told the station a witness confirmed Dorothy Lyons was driving. Police didn't know then why she drove around the crossing arm.
The couple couldn't get out of the way in time to avoid the train, which was traveling about 55 miles per hour, the station reported. Both died at the scene.
Lyons' church stood about 200 yards from the train crossing, according to WNCN.
The Savannah, Georgia-bound train departed from New York City, Amtrak officials said.
Washington state
The Amtrak Cascades Train 501 derailed near DuPont in Washington on December 18 and hurtled over an overpass onto Interstate 5, killing three people on its inaugural journey from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon.
The locomotive engineer told the NTSB the train was traveling at about 80 miles per hour as it passed milepost 15.5 on the route, the NTSB said. He told the investigators he had planned to start braking about a mile before an upcoming curve with a 30-mph speed restriction at milepost 19.8, the agency said.
The engineer said he saw mileposts 16 and 17, but did not recall seeing milepost 18 or the 30-mph advance speed sign two miles before the curve, the NTSB said.
An Amtrak train car dangled onto Interstate 5 in Pierce County, Washington, after it derailed in December.
"The engineer said that he did see the wayside signal at milepost 19.8 (at the accident curve) but mistook it for another signal, which was north of the curve," according to the NTSB.
The engineer saw the 30-mph sign at the entrance to the curve and applied the brakes shortly before the train derailed, tumbling off the overpass as it entered the curve, the NTSB said.
A CNN investigation found that engineers and conductors had warned their supervisors that they did not feel adequately trained on the new route, according to more than a dozen sources.
The NTSB has said PTC was not yet functional on the locomotive.
Railroad safety experts have pushed for PTC, and Congress passed a law mandating it in 2008. Railroad companies have until the end of 2018 -- or, the railroads are granted an extension , until the end of 2020 -- to implement PTC.
Amtrak has equipped 49% of its locomotives and 67% of its tracks with PTC, according to Federal Railroad Administration data from the second quarter of 2017.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The crash happened in the early hours of Sunday morning
An Amtrak train involved in a deadly crash with a stationary freight train in South Carolina appeared to be on the wrong track, the state governor says.
Officials will investigate whether points in the area misdirected the passenger train.
The Amtrak's engineer and conductor died and 116 people were injured in the crash early on Sunday.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said the incident should "begin a conversation" about rail safety.
Just four days ago, a lorry driver was killed when his vehicle was hit by a train carrying lawmakers in Virginia.
Incorrect points?
Sunday's crash happened at 02:35 local time (07:35 GMT) in the town of Cayce, just outside the state capital, Columbia. The train was travelling from New York to Miami when it hit the goods train, causing its lead engine and several carriages to derail.
The dead Amtrak workers have been named as engineer Michael Kempf, 54, from Georgia, and conductor Michael Cella, 36, of Florida.
Three of the injured were said to be in a serious condition. Most injuries ranged from scratches to broken bones.
President Donald Trump tweeted that his thoughts and prayers were with the victims.
Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump My thoughts and prayers are with all of the victims involved in this mornings train collision in South Carolina. Thank you to our incredible First Responders for the work they’ve done! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 4, 2018 Report
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, with the co-operation of CSX, which is responsible for operating the railway in the area.
There had been concern about 5,000 gallons (19,000 litres) of fuel that spilled after the crash but the site has now been declared safe.
There were 139 passengers and eight Amtrak staff on the train.
Governor McMaster said that "it appears the Amtrak was on the wrong track" and the unmanned goods train "was on the track it was supposed to be on".
Sources quoted by NBC News said CSX signals in the area had been taken offline to undergo work.
They said the Amtrak was given verbal approval to take one track but points may have been wrongly set there, sending the Amtrak on to a side track and into the goods train.
A computer system called Positive Train Control (PTC), which the sources said could have prevented the crash, was not in operation in the area. PTC has been delayed in many areas due to costs and technical issues.
The Amtrak was travelling at 59mph (95km/h) upon impact, Governor McMaster said.
He added: "It's a horrible thing to see, to understand what force was involved. The first engine of the freight train was torn up, and the single engine of the passenger train is barely recognisable."
Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal reinforced Mr McMaster's call for a rail safety conversation, saying safety had to improve.
Skip Twitter post by @SenBlumenthal America’s railroads must be made safer. Proven technology like Positive Train Control cannot continue to be delayed. On safety, business as usual must end. — Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) February 4, 2018 Report
Passengers said the crash had caused chaos in the middle of the night.
One, Erin Wittman, told MSNBC: "We just awoke to violent shaking; I just knew immediately we were off the tracks and I couldn't believe it was actually happening."
Concerns about safety standards on the US rail network have been raised after a number of fatal train crashes in recent years:
CLOSE At least two people were killed and more than 100 are hurt after n Amtrak passenger train collided with a freight train in South Carolina early Sunday morning. USA TODAY
Authorities investigate the scene of a fatal Amtrak train crash in Cayce, South Carolina, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. At least two people were killed and dozens injured when an Amtrak passenger train collided with a CSX freight train. (Photo: Tim Dominick, The State via AP)
Three fatal crashes of Amtrak trains in as many months are raising serious concerns about rail safety nationwide.
Sunday's deadly crash of a Miami-bound Amtrak train into the back of a CSX freight train in South Carolina is the second fatal crash in a week. A chartered train for Republican members of Congress heading to a retreat collided with a garbage truck Wednesday in rural Virginia, killing the truck driver. Investigators are still examining what caused a Dec. 18 derailment on an overpass between Seattle and Portland, Ore., killing three.
Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson acknowledged the safety concerns Sunday and said he hoped to instill a culture similar to that of airlines: "Amtrak is fully committed and values safety as its highest priority."
Authorities say Sunday's crash happened when the southbound passenger train from New York somehow got switched from the main track onto a siding where it rear-ended parked freight cars, killing the train's engineer and conductor. The Amtrak train at the time was passing through an area owned and controlled by CSX.
“It appears to me CSX was on the track it was supposed to be on. And that appeared to be a loading track,” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said at a news conference. “They weren’t supposed to be meeting like that, clearly. … It appears that Amtrak was on the wrong track.”
More: Amtrak train on wrong track collides with freight train; 2 dead, 116 injured
The crash is the latest in a series of high-profile incidents involving passenger trains, including at least three people killed by high-speed Brightline trains in Florida since that service began testing last year and launched in January. In all three incidents, police said those struck did not heed warning lights and crossing gates positioned at the intersections.
While all three of Amtrak's most recent crashes appear to have different causes, some critics are calling for changes to the organization's approach to safety.
Amtrak, collision (Photo: Alejandro Gonzalez)
"The company needs to take bold action, possibly even pause operations, to show that they’re taking these failures seriously,” Brian Fielkow, author of the book Leading People Safely, which argues that companies can ultimately save money by operating safely.
Amtrak remains popular with riders and lawmakers from both rural and urban areas. More than 31 million riders last year reached more than 500 destinations in 46 states and three Canadian provinces, the company said.
Amtrak’s trains along the Northeast corridor are its busiest, but the company also serves dozens of small towns across the West, including transporting tens of thousands of Boy Scouts annually to the Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico.
More: Amtrak accidents hurt safety reputation, but railroad remains popular with Congress, riders
More: After Brightline high-speed rail deaths, Florida lawmakers call for more safety rules
Still, Amtrak has been slowly attracting more riders and is under the gun. President Trump has proposed slashing Amtrak's annual subsidy and forcing it to cut unprofitable long-haul trains in favor of services like the Acela in New York, Boston and Washington, D.C.
Amtrak crashes in addition to the two this past week:
• Dec. 18: A train traveling 80 mph entered a 30-mph curve and derailed, sending cars plunging off a bridge onto Interstate 5 below on the Cascades route between Seattle and Portland, Ore..
• April 3, 2016: A train going 99 mph near Philadelphia slammed into a backhoe on the track, killing two workmen and injuring 39 passengers. Investigators said a series of safety lapses caused the collision.
• May 12, 2015: A train traveling 106 mph into a 50-mph curve in Philadelphia derailed, killing eight passengers and injuring hundreds. Investigators ruled the engineer lost awareness of where he was on the route.
Railroad advocates point out that trains remain far safer than cars, which killed 37,000 people last year across the country. Jim Mathews, president and CEO of the non-profit Rail Passengers Association, pointed out that in the vast majority of train crashes, a vehicle or person on the tracks was at fault, even though Amtrak or another railroad gets blamed.
In the U.S., a person or vehicle gets hit by a train every three hours, accounting for 96% of rail fatalities, according to the Rail Passengers Association, which has been pushing Congress to boost safety funding.
"It's easy, when these things happen, to lose perspective. But despite these incidents, it really does remain a very safe way to travel," Mathews said. "The facts are that Amtrak's trains don't crash a lot, and people don’t die a lot in those crashes."
The National Transportation Safety Board was at Sunday's crash site and will investigate the cause of the wreck. Train safety expert Richard Beall said the cause is likely one of three things: a track problem, a fault with the train itself or a crew error. Most passenger trains, he said, are run by a single engineer in the locomotive working a shift that could be as long as 12 hours.
Beall, a longtime engineer who retired last summer, said railroads have invested significantly in improving crossings and signals. They are also working to adopt technology mandated by Congress called Positive Train Control, which experts say would reduce crashes by tracking and controlling a train's location and speed.
"They can't get it to work," Beall said.
Beall said the risk of crew fatigue is very real, especially at the time of Sunday's collision, about 2:35 a.m.
"I've run trains for 47 years. That’s a tough time of the morning," Beall said. "You're out there in the dark, looking out at two shiny rails in the headlight. You can get hypnotized by what's in front of you."
Contributing: Tim Smith, The Greenville (S.C.) News; Oren Dorell, USA TODAY
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