A woman is facing charges of reckless homicide after three of her passengers sustained fatal injuries in a train crash in North Charleston.
Early on the morning of October 30, 2021, Aszeria Vanderhorst, 24, was driving in the area of Remount Road near Dutton Avenue, according to an incident report.
As Vanderhorst approached an Amtrak train track, the crossing arm lowered, indicating a train was approaching.
Investigators say Vanderhorst was seen on video driving around the crossing arm and into the path of the train before the vehicle was struck.
According to the report, the train was traveling 68 mph when it collided with the passenger side of the vehicle. Three passengers were ejected in the collision and pronounced dead at the scene.
Vanderhorst was taken to MUSC for her injuries.
The following day, the coroner identified the victims of the crash as Tiasia Newton, 22, of Syracuse, New York; Danielle Branton, 29, of North Charleston; and Reshana Lambright, 32, of North Charleston.
On Wednesday, May 18, 2022, Vanderhorst was booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center on three counts of Reckless Homicide.
She is awaiting a bond hearing.
North Charleston Police Department issued the following statement regarding the lengthy process of the investigation:
“It was a complex investigation and scene which took time to go over. Also there were numerous key pieces of evidence from tests and records that took some time to get the results back. It then took a while to go through and analyze those results.”