Jasper County trainwreck: Freight engine collides with massive excavator stuck on tracks

With an excavator in tow, a Beaufort County contracting company’s semi-truck was hurled off the tracks Friday morning after its trailer became stuck on a railroad crossing and collided with a freight train traveling through Ridgeland. No significant injuries were reported in the low-speed crash.

The semi-truck, owned by the Beaufort-based O’Quinn Marine Construction, was pulling a lowboy trailer that got caught on the raised railroad crossing before 10 a.m. Friday on State Dam Road, located about a mile of Ridgeland town limits. A low ground clearance sign posted at the intersection warns drivers that larger vehicles may get stuck while attempting to pass.

Shortly after, a CSX freight train began approaching the crossing from the south. As required, contractors reportedly attempted to contract the transportation company to warn them of the hazard.

Seconds before the collision, a worker trying to move the vehicle was seen jumping off the trailer bed to safety. Just before impact, the train blared its horn.

“Oh gosh, this is gonna be bad,” says a person behind the camera.

Video of the collision shows the semi and excavator jolting backwards and to the side of the tracks, the truck’s cabin overturning while the excavator stayed upright. The train rolls to a stop as smoke and dust begin rising from the damaged truck.

The company’s excavator is manufactured by CASE Construction Equipment, whose larger models weigh more than 50,000 pounds. Used models of similarly sized machines can cost upwards of $50,000.

Two crew members on the train received minor injuries in the crash and were briefly treated at a local hospital, according to a spokesperson for CSX. The company would not specify the amount of damage caused to the train.

Ridgeland police and troopers from the South Carolina Highway Patrol responded to the collision Friday morning. The incident is under investigation by the SCHP and CSX.

O’Quinn Marine Construction and the SCHP did not immediately respond to requests for comment made over the phone on Tuesday.