Ken Hoffman, 82, Peggy Hoffman, 73, Clinton Havran, 79, and Deborah Orr, 62, dead; thirty-five injured when train strikes charter bus in Biloxi, Mississippi

Officials have confirmed three fatalities and 35 people were taken to hospitals in the area. Several had to be airlifted from the scene. Around 50 passengers were on the bus when the crash happened, and we're told seven of them were able to walk away.

Officials previously reported four people died, but we learned around 6 p.m. only three fatalities have been confirmed.

The Texas-based charter bus, carrying 48 people, was heading north on Main Street when it got stuck trying to cross train tracks in Biloxi, according to Cecilia Dobbs Walton, a city spokeswoman. 

Hargrove said Clinton Havran, 79, and Deborah Orr, 62, also died as a result of the crash. According to Hargrove, the Hoffmans, of Lockhart, TX, and Havran, of Sealy, TX, died at the scene. Orr, of Bastrop, TX, died after undergoing surgery at Merit Health Biloxi just after 6 p.m.

Biloxi Mayor Andrew "FoFo" Gilich said Wednesday that he'll use recommendations from CSX Transportation to minimize the chances of another fatal wreck.

The lawsuit claims a "humped" crossing sign was posted in front of the crossing indicating the low ground and potential for getting stuck. After the crash, the suit says more than 30 minutes passed before the injured passengers were taken off the bus.

“She was uplifting. Always had a smile,” said Ruth Bullock, who served on the Bastrop Senior Center board with Orr. “If she felt like someone was down, she would go over to them and ask if they were OK. She was just bubbly. Never met a stranger. She was just real friendly.”

Susan Lawson, another Red Hat, met Orr when they volunteered to help the community of Bastrop after fires in September 2011 killed two people and destroyed 1,660 homes.

A tribute filled with color hangs proudly on a wall in the Bastrop Senior Center.

The Hoffmans’ family will hold visitation 5 - 7 p.m. at McCurdy Funeral Home, 105 E. Pecan St. Funeral services will take place 10 a.m. Tuesday at First United Methodist Church, 313 W. San Antonio St. 

People packed inside First United Methodist Church in Lockhart to remember the Hoffmans-- two people truly loved by their community.

Mary Hall, who was on the bus, filed suit after being rushed to an emergency room with serious injuries. She is seeking $10 million in compensation from the bus company, ECHO Tours and Charter Transportation company, as well as the train company, CSX Transportation.

According to police, 60-year-old Louis Ambrose Jr., an employee of Echo Tours, was behind the wheel en route to the Boomtown Casino when the crash occurred.

Police Chief John Miller said the driver of a tour bus was “sober” before a train hit the bus on the CSX railroad tracks at Main Street, killing four senior citizens and injuring 44 others.  

A press released issued by the Biloxi Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division says based on collected data, there has been nothing discovered to suggest criminal activity in the crash involving a CSX train and charter bus on March 7 in Biloxi. 

 Investigators say a preliminary report on the March 7 train-bus crash in Mississippi that killed four Texas tourists should be ready within three weeks.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, alleges that CSX Transportation Inc. knew its crossing needed attention, and that the train could have been stopped in time to prevent the crash. The tour company, Dallas-based Echo Transportation Inc., is also a defendant.

Ken Hoffman retired in 1996 as an assistant superintendent of Lockhart ISD, and Peggy retired in 2002 as principal of Plum Creek Elementary. Between them, the couple served 85 years combined to the school district.