CALHOUN COUNTY, SC (WACH) - A train carrying chemicals collided with a log truck in Calhoun County Monday afternoon, shutting down roads and causing an evacuation of the area.
According to Brian Rizner with Calhoun County Emergency Prepardness Agency, the train hit the truck near the intersection of Highway 33 and Highway 267 around 3:30 p.m. Monday outside the the town of Lone Star. Investigators say the truck may have been trying to beat the train across the tracks.
The train was hauling several chemicals including cyanide, strychnine, and liquid phosgene. All of those can be extremely harmful to humans. The train also leaked approximately 2,500 gallons of diesel fuel after the crash. Officials evacuated the surrounding area as a precuation.
The train derailed after dragging the log truck about one-quarter of a mile down the track.
The truck driver received only cuts and bruises. No other injuries have been reported.
A crew from Charleston was brought in with a heavy-duty crane to move the train.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, the National Weather Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency were also called to the scene due to the hazardous materials involved in the crash.
Crews are expected to be working into the early morning hours Tuesday.
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