At 2:39 a.m. on January 6, 2005, a northbound Norfolk Southern Railway freight train derailed after encountering an open switch and collided with a parked train on a siding track at Graniteville. Sixteen cars derailed, and one chlorine car was breached, releasing 160,000 pounds of chlorine gas. The disaster caused nine fatalities, sent 550 people to local hospitals, and forced the evacuation of 5,400 people. Those who lost their lives were Steven W. Bagby, Tony M. Deloach, Allen Frazier, John Henry Laird Jr., Fred (Rusty) Rushton III, Christopher G. Seeling, Willie Charles Shealey, Joseph Lee Stone, and Willie Lee Tyler.

Photo: Mike Stroud

Photo: Mike Stroud

Photo: Mike Stroud

Gloverville, South Carolina · USA