De GRAFF, Ohio — According to a wire service, the badly burned condition of the bodies of four people killed in a fiery collision between a train and pickup truck could make identifying them difficult, Logan County Sheriff Michael Henry said.
“We are going to have a hard time identifying these people and attempting to notify next of kin,” Henry said following the accident Sunday at a railroad crossing near this western Ohio village.
He said he was soliciting the help of the Montgomery County coroner in making the identifications.
The four were trapped in the pickup which exploded into flames upon impact with the CSX freight train and was pushed for about a quarter-mile down the tracks.
A youngster was riding with one of the victims on the bed of the truck. He was thrown clear and injured, deputies said. He was taken to Children’s Hospital in Columbus, 54 miles southeast of here, where neither his name nor condition were being released early Monday.
Henry said the accident happened at 12:40 p.m. at a rural railroad that that is marked by railroad-crossing signs but has no warning lights or gates.
The 42-car CSX train was traveling from St. Louis to Boston, CSX spokesman Bob Sullivan said. Sullivan said there was no indication that the train was going faster than the 60-mph speed limit.
“We have talked with the engineer, and he did see the vehicle coming,” Henry said. “The driver did not look at him as he approached the crossing.”
Robert Corwin, who lives near the railroad crossing, was driving an all-terrain vehicle in a nearby field.
“I heard a big thump and screech and then saw black smoke,” Corwin, 34, said.
He said he hurried to the scene, saw the boy, who he estimated was about 12, lying about 40 feet from the tracks and then called the sheriff’s department on his cell phone.
The roadway crosses the tracks at a severe angle that makes it difficult for motorists to see eastbound trains, said Lura Grandstaff, 80, who lives nearby. Trees partially obscure motorists’ view, she said.
“We can hear the trains, but we can’t see them. With seat belts on, we can’t turn to see them.”
De Graff is 40 miles northeast of Dayton.