A train crashed into an excavator being hauled by tractor trailer September 6 in South Carolina.
According to a Facebook Reel video, the truck got stuck on tracks crossing U.S. Highway 17 in Jasper County near Ridgeland, and a man can be seen jumping off the trailer and running away.
The CSX train then crashes into the truck, lowboy trailer and Case excavator, dragging them and toppling the white truck.
A Facebook post by witness Calvin Smith said no one was hurt. He said it appeared the truck had gotten stuck on the tracks and couldn’t be moved in time for the oncoming train.
“From my understanding, they attempted to make contact with CSX, but there was already a train that was too close to stop,” the Facebook post reads. “Upon seeing the train they attempted to use the excavator to push the truck off the tracks, they continued their attempt until seconds before the impact.”
There is a sign before the tracks warning of low ground clearance, which alerts trailer haulers of potential hangup at the crossing, according to a photo of the scene posted on Facebook.
In that incident, the driver of the Ford truck hauling the loader did not pull all the way across the tracks. The trailer was in the direct path of the train, with the crossing arms resting on top of the loader.
Despite blaring horns by motorists behind the trailer, the driver did not move forward, and the train crashed into the CTL and trailer. No one was injured in that case either.
According to Operation Lifesaver rail safety education website, Texas had the highest number of highway-rail grade crossing collisions of any state in 2023, at 246.
South Carolina ranked 10th, with 62 such collisions.
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