Freight train collides with car, SC man killed. Questions about crash remain unanswered
A car and a freight train collided in South Carolina’s lowcountry over New Year’s weekend, killing one person and injuring two.
Joel Nicholas Gonzalez, 33, of North Charleston, was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:45 p.m. Saturday, about an hour after the collision occurred, according to the Dorchester County Coroner’s office. The crash happened about three miles west of Summerville at a train crossing on U.S. 78.
Authorities said an autopsy would be performed Thursday at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Two others in the vehicle, including the driver, were injured, according to the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Department. The Norfolk Southern train had been delivering lumber to a local store, department spokesman Rick Carson said.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Authorities are trying to determine whether the car tried to beat the train.
Lights were flashing and an alarm was on when the accident occurred, although the train crossing did not have a gate, Carson said. The car was in a wooded area when authorities arrived.
