Two people are dead and two others hospitalized after the SUV they were in was struck by a train Sunday afternoon near Port Wentworth.
Martha Newton, 57, of Westlake Avenue, the driver of the SUV, and Amanda Newton, 34, of Atlanta were declared dead on scene at the 1:49 p.m. collision on the 200 block of Gulfstream Road. Vanessa Newton, 35, of Atlanta was flown from the scene in critical condition to Memorial University Medical Center and 14-year-old A-Mirackle Newton, also of Atlanta, was transported to Memorial by ambulance. A-Mirackle Newton was listed in serious condition.
Savannah-Chatham police spokesman Julian Miller said witnesses told officers that, just before 2 p.m., Martha Newton, headed north on Gulfstream, disregarded the flashing lights and drove around the cautionary arms of the train tracks, crossing into the train's path.
All occupants of the vehicle except the driver were ejected, Miller said.
Carla Groleau, a spokeswoman for CSX, said neither of the train's two crew members were injured in the accident.
The police department's Major Accident Investigation Team is handling the investigation. Multiple agencies responded to the wreck, including metro and Port Wentworth police, Southside Fire/EMS and the Port Wentworth and Garden City fire departments.
—Dash Coleman