DeGRAFF, Ohio — A 13-year-old boy who was the remaining survivor of Sunday afternoon’s fatal train accident in DeGraff has died, according to NBC affiliate WCMH-TV4 in Columbus, Ohio.
A preliminary investigation states that the driver of the pickup truck, Don Dillion, 56, just didn’t see the train coming, NewsChannel 4 reports.
Authorities say the truck exploded on impact, killing Dillion and his passengers Marci Hicks and her two sons, Natoris, 11, and Datoris, 10. They were all from Logan County.
Hicks’ 12-year-old son, Artoris Hicks, was thrown from the bed of the truck and taken to Children’s Hospital in Columbus, where he died Monday.
The train engineer says he tried to stop when he saw the pickup truck, but it was too late. His 5,000-ton train hit the truck around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, which immediately burst into flames. The railroad crossing on Logan’s County Township Road does not have flashing lights or crossing bars. Authorities say this is because the crossing has more train traffic than car traffic. Residents there now wonder if those devices could have prevented this tragedy.
In the state of Ohio, there are more than 6,600 miles of tracks and 6,100 public railroad crossings, but statistics show that any people don’t pay attention while crossing the tracks, NewsChannel 4 reports.
Forty percent of Ohio’s crossings have flashing lights and gates, 15 percent have just the lights and 45 percent have just a crossing sign.
More than 100 Ohioans have died in accidents where vehicles and trains collide, NewsChannel 4 reports.
“Turn off the radio and roll down the window. Don’t take the crossing for granted,” Sheldon Senek, from Operation Lifesaver, says.
Ohio is the test market for a new type of railroad signs called Buckeye Crossbucks. They are thought to be more visible at night.
The site of this weekend’s fatal crash will get a face-lift within the next year, NewsChannel 4 reports.
“There will be an upgrade made where there will be flashing lights and gates to warn motorist of approaching trains,” Shana Gerber, of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, said.
For more information on specific crossings, railroad operations, improvments and more, call the Ohio Rail Hotline at 1-866-RAIL, or check their site by clicking here.