Another person involved in a sad accident between a freight train and an SUV in Plant City passed away on Sunday, as reported by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident occurred around 6:45 p.m. when a Cadillac Escalade, carrying a family on their way to a quinceañera, was hit by a train traveling at 55 mph at the intersection of US-92 and Jim Lefler Circle.
“As you can imagine, the carnage that’s created when these two collide,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “The SUV, we can see from the video begins to catapult and flip violently several times before it’s landed.”
Six of the crash victims were “violently” thrown upon impact, killing six and badly wounding one.
The people who passed away in the incident were named Jose G. Hernandez (52 years old, the driver), Enedelia Hernandez (51 years old), Jakub A. Lopez (17 years old), Alyssa Hernandez (17 years old), Anaelia Hernandez (22 years old), and Julian Hernandez (9 years old).
The one who survived is Guillermo E. Gama III, who was in the front seat. He’s 23 years old and is currently in critical condition at Lakeland Regional Health according to the latest update.
“I continue to ask our community to keep this family, their loved ones, and first responders in their thoughts,” Chronister said Sunday. “This tragic loss is immense, and the members of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and I are praying for peace and comfort for all those impacted. In the midst of desperation and senseless tragedy, our goal is to provide every available resource to those in need and lighten their unimaginable burden. Those impacted by this devastating loss were met with compassion and the highest level of professionalism while trying to navigate the unspeakable.”
Chronister described what she saw as “horrible,” comparing the family’s SUV to a “soft drink can that was smashed.”
“I think anyone who has seen the carnage that’s been created, whenever you compound that with children lost their lives here, maybe an entire family, maybe an entire family lost their life here tonight,” Chronister told Saturday night. “We’re all visibly shaken.”
No one got hurt in the train accident, according to officials.
The crossing where the accident happened didn’t have barriers, just a stop sign. But rail safety expert Michael Callanan mentioned that the road wasn’t meant for regular traffic.
“This road is a privately maintained road, an access road to a home,” Callanan said. “There’s two homes back there I believe. It’s not a public thoroughfare road; it’s just a road to get to the house. Therefore it’s not required to have those warning devices there because it’s privately owned.”
