(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – BREAKING NOW: A freight train has collided with an SUV in Florida, resulting in the death of five individuals, including at least two children, and critically injuring two adults, according to authorities.
A family of seven, whose identities have not been disclosed, was en route to a quinceañera. They entered the train crossing in Plant City, located approximately 25 miles from Tampa.
“The word devastating doesn’t begin to describe the events and tragedy that unfolded,” remarked Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister during a media briefing.
Police reviewed video footage that depicted the Cadillac Escalade slowly nearing the crossing, distinguished only by a stop sign and lacking crossing arms.
The individual driving proceeded to traverse the tracks without checking in both directions, placing the vehicle directly in front of a freight train that was a mile in length and traveling at 55 miles per hour, as detailed by Chronister.
Witnesses in nearby vehicles and the train’s conductor honked and blared their horns and flashed their lights. Despite the conductor’s efforts to decelerate the train, it was too late to avert the collision.
“As you could imagine, the carnage that’s created when these two collide,” the sheriff commented.
“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.”
All occupants seated in the rear of the SUV — two males and three females — were thrown from the vehicle and lost their lives. Based on information provided by the family to law enforcement, the deceased included children aged 10 and 14 and an older “adult child.”
The driver and the individual seated beside him in the front, both adult males, were pinned inside the SUV, which, in the words of Chronister, “looks like a soft drink can that’s been smashed.”
Emergency responders utilized specialized equipment to extract the two, who were subsequently transported to a nearby medical facility in a critical state.
“Maybe an entire family lost their life here tonight. We are all visibly shaken we are we are all rattled at our core tonight after witnessing what happened here tonight,” shared Chronister with evident distress.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS ALERT FROM RECLAIMING AMERICA.
