South Carolina Motorist Killed at Dangerous, Unguarded Norfolk Southern Crossing
(Columbia, South Carolina – May 1, 2022)
A 25-year-old resident of Columbia, SC was killed Saturday afternoon in a tragic collision at a dangerous, unprotected Norfolk Southern railroad crossing. The victim, Jennifer Kennedy, was driving her 2017 Hyundai south on Hobart Road out of the Brookhaven community when she was struck by the freight train. According to her fiancé, Jennifer was on her way to meet her mother when the collision occurred.
Despite being the main road that connects the Brookhaven community to Farrow Road, there are no active warning devices at this deadly crossing. It is very likely that the addition of lights and gates could have prevented this tragedy. Norfolk Southern and Operation Lifesaver know that lights and gates are the most effective type of protection at railroad crossings. Studies that have been conducted over fifty years ago confirm that lights and gates offer the ability to drastically reduce the number of vehicle/train collisions by as much as 96%.
South Carolina Highway Patrol continues to investigate this collision.
