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http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/13048451.htm
Lawsuits filed in car-train collision
Plaintiffs say driver’s view was blocked at Cayce crossing
By RICK BRUNDRETT
Staff Writer
A car-train crash that killed two and seriously injured a third in Cayce in 2003 could have been prevented if CSX railroad had not blocked the view at its crossing, lawsuits contend.
The five lawsuits contradict earlier statements by authorities that the driver of the Pontiac Grand Am apparently had been trying to beat the train.
“My son didn’t do anything wrong,” said Jacqueline High of Cayce, mother of the 19-year-old driver, John Brazzell Jr. “They (CSX railroad) need to be responsible for what happened.”
Meg Scheu, a spokeswoman for the Jacksonville, Fla.-based CSX Transportation Inc., declined to comment.
Brazzell and his 24-year-old passenger, Roderick Couch, died Jan. 19, 2003, when their car was struck by an Amtrak passenger train about 1 a.m. at the crossing in the 2200 block of State Street, authorities said. Cornelius Brown, 16, another passenger in the car, was seriously injured.
Lexington County Deputy Coroner Todd Caughman said at the time that the car apparently tried to beat the train. Witnesses reported crossing warning lights were flashing and the guard bars had been lowered, he said.
The lawsuits contend Brazzell couldn’t see the Amtrak train heading into Columbia because of a stopped CSX train on an adjacent track. The crossing is in a train switching yard.
Hampton lawyer Johnny Parker, who represents the plaintiffs, said the stopped train likely triggered the warning lights and gates, lulling Brazzell into falsely believing no other trains were approaching. The lawsuits contend CSX employees were negligent in operating the switching yard.
Cayce City Manager John Sharpe said Friday he was unaware of similar recent complaints at the State Street crossing. But he said he doubted any motorist could speed through the intersection, noting multiple tracks must be crossed.
Sharpe said the city has proposed CSX close the State Street crossing, citing traffic congestion because of slow-moving trains in the switching yard. But the railroad hasn’t acted on the request, part of a larger proposal that includes closing another crossing and reopening a third, he said.
The lawsuits, filed Oct. 21 in Richland County Circuit Court, seek unspecified actual and punitive damages against CSX and switching yard employees Aaron Michaels and R.D. Gibbons. Parker said Richland County court was chosen as the lawsuits’ venue because it is “much closer to the crash” site — located in Lexington County — than the circuit court in Lexington County.
Separate lawsuits for wrongful death and pain and suffering, including medical expenses, were filed on behalf of Brazzell and Couch by their families. Brown’s guardian filed a fifth suit.
Reach Brundrett at (803) 771-8484 or rbrundrett@thestate.com.
Lawsuits filed in car-train collision
Plaintiffs say driver’s view was blocked at Cayce crossing
By RICK BRUNDRETT
Staff Writer
A car-train crash that killed two and seriously injured a third in Cayce in 2003 could have been prevented if CSX railroad had not blocked the view at its crossing, lawsuits contend.
The five lawsuits contradict earlier statements by authorities that the driver of the Pontiac Grand Am apparently had been trying to beat the train.
“My son didn’t do anything wrong,” said Jacqueline High of Cayce, mother of the 19-year-old driver, John Brazzell Jr. “They (CSX railroad) need to be responsible for what happened.”
Meg Scheu, a spokeswoman for the Jacksonville, Fla.-based CSX Transportation Inc., declined to comment.
Brazzell and his 24-year-old passenger, Roderick Couch, died Jan. 19, 2003, when their car was struck by an Amtrak passenger train about 1 a.m. at the crossing in the 2200 block of State Street, authorities said. Cornelius Brown, 16, another passenger in the car, was seriously injured.
Lexington County Deputy Coroner Todd Caughman said at the time that the car apparently tried to beat the train. Witnesses reported crossing warning lights were flashing and the guard bars had been lowered, he said.
The lawsuits contend Brazzell couldn’t see the Amtrak train heading into Columbia because of a stopped CSX train on an adjacent track. The crossing is in a train switching yard.
Hampton lawyer Johnny Parker, who represents the plaintiffs, said the stopped train likely triggered the warning lights and gates, lulling Brazzell into falsely believing no other trains were approaching. The lawsuits contend CSX employees were negligent in operating the switching yard.
Cayce City Manager John Sharpe said Friday he was unaware of similar recent complaints at the State Street crossing. But he said he doubted any motorist could speed through the intersection, noting multiple tracks must be crossed.
Sharpe said the city has proposed CSX close the State Street crossing, citing traffic congestion because of slow-moving trains in the switching yard. But the railroad hasn’t acted on the request, part of a larger proposal that includes closing another crossing and reopening a third, he said.
The lawsuits, filed Oct. 21 in Richland County Circuit Court, seek unspecified actual and punitive damages against CSX and switching yard employees Aaron Michaels and R.D. Gibbons. Parker said Richland County court was chosen as the lawsuits’ venue because it is “much closer to the crash” site — located in Lexington County — than the circuit court in Lexington County.
Separate lawsuits for wrongful death and pain and suffering, including medical expenses, were filed on behalf of Brazzell and Couch by their families. Brown’s guardian filed a fifth suit.
Reach Brundrett at (803) 771-8484 or rbrundrett@thestate.com.