Hardeeville woman dies after her car is struck by oncoming Amtrak train, coroner says
A Hardeeville woman died after her car was struck by an Amtrak train Thursday morning, according to officials from the Jasper County Coroner’s Office and Hardeeville Police Department.
Rose Black, 58, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a press release from Jasper County Coroner Willie Aiken III posted Friday afternoon. Black was the only person in the vehicle and was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, officials said.
The accident occurred just before 8 a.m. Thursday as Black was driving east on Main Street in Hardeeville. Due to backed-up traffic from the nearby Highway 17 intersection, Black’s vehicle was trapped on the railroad tracks as the railway signal activated, according to Chief Sam Woodward, a spokesperson for the Hardeeville Police Department.
Police believe Black attempted to back her car off of the tracks but was blocked by the signal arm, Woodward said. The train’s conductor deployed the brakes as soon as crew spotted the vehicle on the tracks, but the train could not be stopped quickly enough.
The Amtrak was not derailed, but the train stopped less than a mile later near the U.S. 321 overpass, Woodward said. No injuries were reported among the train’s passengers and crew members.
Hardeeville Police and Amtrak are investigating the accident, according to Woodward.
The Jasper County Coroner’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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