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A University of South Carolina student was hit by a train Saturday, according to the Columbia Police Department. The male student was seriously hurt, suffering multiple injuries, in the collision and was taken to an area hospital, police said at about 5:40 p.m. on social media. Further information on the student’s condition was not available. No other injuries were reported in the Saturday afternoon collision. The student was a pedestrian who was walking in the 600 block of Blossom Street when he was hit by the CSX Transportation freight train, according to police. That’s near USC’s downtown Columbia campus, close to the intersection with Huger Street and the Greek Village. A witness told police that the student was walking along the tracks at the time of the crash. The collision continues to be investigated by police and CSX. In February, a 57-year-old West Columbia man was killed when the pickup truck he was driving collided with an Amtrak passenger train that was traveling on the CSX railway in Columbia, police said. There was another deadly wreck involving a pedestrian and CSX train on Dutch Fork Road in Irmo in February 2024, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Train safety Here are some tips to follow near tracks and trains: ▪ Cross only at designated crossings ▪ Never go around flashing lights or gates ▪ Trains can come anytime, any track, either direction ▪ Always expect a train; freight trains don’t travel at fixed times and schedules for passenger trains often change ▪ Never walk on train tracks; it’s highly dangerous and trespassing because all track are private property ▪ Trains have the right of way 100% of the time over pedestrians and vehicles, including police and emergency vehicles ▪ Trains overhang tracks, stay 15 feet back from the tracks SOURCE: Operation Lifesaver
