PLANT CITY, Fla — A community is mourning the loss of six people who were killed after a train crashed into their SUV on Saturday, Sept. 23, in Plant City.
The crash happened off U.S. Highway 92 and Jim Lefler Circle. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says their SUV was headed to a birthday party when the driver didn't stop at a private railroad crossing. The train conductor tried to warn the driver before they collided.
The following people died in the crash:
- Jose G. Hernandez, 52
- Enedelia Hernandez, 50
- Jakub A. Lopez, 17
- Alyssa Hernandez, 17
- Anaelia Hernandez, 22
- Julian Hernandez, 9
10 Tampa Bay will update the gallery below when new photos are received.
Remembering those lost in Plant City train crash
The sole survivor of a deadly train crash, 23-year-old Guillermo Gama, was able to squeeze his aunt's hand on Monday. Family says this a tremendous step for Gama who suffered a brain bleed, ruptured kidney and bruised lung.
10 Tampa Bay reached out to FDOT and CSX to see what it would take to install safety measures where the crash happened.
A spokesperson for CSX said, "Determination of whether active warning devices are installed is made by the local authorities."
The statement continued to read, "In our view, closing crossings is the best way to improve public safety because that eliminates the risk of crossing collisions altogether. In fact, we’ve been actively working to reduce crossings across our network since the Federal Railroad Administration challenged all railroads to reduce the number of at-grade crossings by 25%.
"CSX is constantly working to improve safety on our railroad and reducing the number of grade crossings on our network is a primary example of that effort."
