Major train derailment, bridge collapse near Moncks Corner, USA

Berkeley County Rescue Squad spokesman Bill Salisbury reported that several cars derailed from the train below a bridge which collapsed on Cypress Gardens Road near Bushy Park Road on Monday.

A CSX spokesperson said in a statement that the train served the Charleston area and had two locomotives and 72 rail cars at the time of the incident. According to CSX, four empty cars derailed, and crews are working with local authorities to clear the area. 

A statement by CSX states that no injuries have been reported.

On Monday night, Salisbury said that he did not know what caused the bridge to collapse. According to Salisbury, a water main was also damaged in the incident.

“When the bridge collapsed, it also took out a 12 to 14 inch water main,” Salisbury said. “Crews are having to secure the water, and the residents in the area will not have water for a while. But crews are on the scene, working on it.”

Between 40 and 50 homes in the neighborhood of Durham Landing are without water as well as industry businesses in Bushy Park. Residents in the area had been reporting erratic water service following the train derailment.

The Red Cross will be supplying water to residents affected.

Authorities also reported that 15 to 20 feet of the bridge collapsed. A witness said a vehicle jumped the large gap on the bridge, but no cars fell into the gap.

Salisbury added that it was a truck that cleared the gap, and called it a “Dukes of Hazzard” move.

“It was really like the Duke boys,” Salisbury said. “He came up to the bridge and flew across the missing part of the roadway and landed on the other side.”

Pictures of the truck showed a blown out front tire and air bags deployed.

Authorities are redirecting motorists to use Red Bank Road due to the incident, according to SCDOT. The cause of the collapse and derailment is under investigation by the NTSB and SCDOT.

James Law with SCDOT had told Live 5 News’ Debi Chard that the train took out the overpass Monday evening. Officials with the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office also reported that their investigators believed the train hit the overpass and knocked over a section of the bridge.

When it was first reported by Berkeley County emergency officials, they had originally reported that a vehicle fell from the overpass and crashed atop a train causing a train derailment in the area.