Florida sheriff describes aftermath of deadly SUV, train collision as 'carnage'
'I believe tonight Hillsborough County lost one of its families,' HCSO Sheriff Chad Chronister said at the scene
Five people are dead, including two children, and two others are at the hospital following a crash between an SUV and train in Florida Saturday night.
It happened just before 7 p.m. at US-92 and Jim Lefler Circle in Plant City, according to the Hillsborough County Sherif's Office.
"This SUV that looks like a soft drink can that's been smashed. It's that horrible to see," Sheriff Chad Chronister said during a press conference at the scene.
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Deputies and first responders quickly arrived on the scene and used the jaws of life to pull the driver and front passenger out of the SUV. The two were taken to the hospital, where they were last listed in serious and critical condition.
The remaining five passengers were all "violently ejected," Chronister said and were pronounced dead at the scene.
A witness reportedly tried to get the driver's attention to not cross tracks by hitting his horn, but video of the scene shows the SUV catapult and flip violently several times before it landed a distance from the crossing only marked by a stop sign.
"As you can imagine the carnage that's created when these two collide," Chronister said.
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Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister speaks to another deputy at the scene of a fatal SUV versus train crash on Sept. 23, 2023. (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)
Investigators are still working to determine how all seven people - four males and three females - who were inside the SUV are related. The sheriff said two of them were children. "I believe tonight Hillsborough County lost one of its families," Chronister said. He asked for prayers for the first responders and deputies who had to comb through the wreckage, as well as loved ones of those involved.
The vehicle entered the train's path for unknown reasons, the sheriff's office said.
Detectives are working to identify all seven individuals involved in the crash. It is believed they were locals on their way to a 15th birthday party, known as a quinceañera, in a home just across the railroad tracks, Chronister said.
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