AKRON, Ohio — A University of Akron student was killed early Monday when his pickup truck was struck by an Amtrak train at a Wayne County railroad crossing, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.
Douglas R. Weber, 21, of Rittman, was driving the truck south on Blough Road when he was struck by the eastbound train, according to the Wooster post of the State Highway Patrol.
The train’s impact cut the 1985 Chevrolet truck in two and caused the truck cab to burst into flames as it was pushed a half-mile down the tracks. The truck bed remained in the area of the crossing.
Weber, a third-year student at the University of Akron, was pronounced dead at the scene. None of the 63 passengers in the 28-car train, traveling from Chicago to New York, was injured, the patrol said. The speed of the train was estimated at 75 mph in a 79 mph zone.
A witness walking his dog told officers Weber appeared to be traveling about 25 miles per hour as he approached the tracks just before 6:30 a.m. He did not speed up or slow down, said patrol Lt. Herb Homan.
That same witness told authorities the train had blown its horn prior to the Blough Road crossing, which has warning signs but no flashing lights or gates. The tracks are just south of Sterling Road on the west side of Rittman in northeast Wayne County.
The patrol said it was dark with overcast skies at the time of the crash and there were no view obstructions for southbound traffic.
Homan said he couldn’t recall any other crashes at this railroad crossing.
After the tracks were cleared, the Amtrak train continued eastbound. Amtrak has been involved in six fatal car and train accidents in Ohio. Nineteen crashes have caused injuries since 1998, according to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. There has been one crash that resulted in injury at a railroad crossing in Wayne County this year as of August, the commission reported.
The patrol said Monday’s crash remains under investigation.
Weber, who worked for Craig Emch Builders, graduated from Rittman High School in 1999 where he was a member of the marching band.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Gillman Funeral Home in Rittman. Calling hours will be from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be at Rittman Cemetery, and memorials may be made to the Rittman High School Marching Band, 100 Saurer St., Rittman, 44270.