(The Akron Beacon Journal posted the following article by Kymberli Hagelberg on its website on May 15.)
AKRON, Ohio — A father and son in separate cars at lunchtime. A pair of high school students on foot heading home from classes. Commuters headed for the day’s work.
In broad daylight Wednesday, each darted in front of a locomotive hurtling toward them.
About 30 teachers, reporters and public officials witnessed the series of near accidents courtesy of Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit organization that tries to educate people about the dangers of railroad crossings.
About 20 violators were caught on video as they failed to stop for trains at crossings in Stark, Summit and Medina counties during the three-hour trip. Many will face up to a $250 fine or 30 days in jail for the offense, which is a fourth-degree misdemeanor.
The outcome could have been far more serious, said Shel Senek, the state coordinator for Operation Lifesaver.
In 2002, there were 120 car-train collisions in Ohio that caused 36 injuries and 20 deaths, according to the group.
“Picture in your mind a car running over a pop can,” Senek said. “Engineers can’t steer and often there’s not a track to switch to…. The last thing they often see is the eyes and face of the person they’re about to kill.”
The number of crossings in most jurisdictions outnumber the police who are assigned to patrol them.
Canton has seven traffic officers to patrol an area with 27 rail crossings. Wednesday, police on the train spotted four drivers running a crossing.
“We had one at 12th Street Northeast that actually ran around the gates,” said Canton police Sgt. Dave Davis. “It’s everybody. Kids not thinking and people in a hurry for work.”
One car missed the front of the rolling Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad engine by 10 feet.
“It really is an everyday occurrence,” said Jim Hill, an engineer for 12 years who now is the railroad’s superintendent of safety. “They race you to the crossings. They run the gates.
“I don’t want to say you get used to it,” Hill said. “You just do everything you can. And then you remember it’s the motorist who is taking chances.”
Operation Lifesaver also leads safety classes and runs workshop trains for elementary through high school students. In Northeast Ohio, the seminars are conducted in cooperation with the Orrville Railroad Heritage Society, which often provides its privately owned cars.
Senek said the message cannot be repeated enough: Accidents happen whether a crossing is well-lighted or dark. Children, especially teen-agers, he said, have the shortest memories.
On Wednesday, the two teen-agers who bolted in front of the passing Operation Lifesaver train in east Akron did so within feet of the spot near Hotchkiss School where 11-year-old Leroy Sutton lost both legs beneath a train.
“We know the safety measures help,” Senek said. “But… people are still making bad choices.”