STONE COUNTY – Five people were killed and a sixth was seriously injured Friday afternoon when a train collided with a van in Stone County, according to WLOX.
Stone County Sheriff Todd Stewart told WLOX the crash happened around 1 p.m. at Pump Branch Road, just off Highway 49. First responders had to cut their way through the woods to reach the wreckage, the station reported.
Authorities said six people were inside the van at the time of the crash. Stone County Coroner Wayne Flurry confirmed that five of them died at the scene, and the sixth person was airlifted to a hospital in New Orleans.
WLOX later reported the five people killed were identified as 26-year-old Ryan C. Peterson, 23-year-old Demarcus Perkins, 45-year-old Kristina Carver, and Carver’s two daughters, 22-year-old Emley Chamblee and 20-year-old Sarabeth Chamblee.
The station also reported that the railroad crossing at Pump Branch Road does not have crossing arms or lights. Stone County District 1 Supervisor Jimmy Springs told WLOX that crossarms are planned for the crossing, but installation could take up to a year.
