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Site of railroad crossing crash was OK’d for gate

Miamisburg man severely injured; lawyer blames city, railroad.

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By Andy Sedlak, Staff Writer 11:56 PM Monday, January 23, 2012

MIAMISBURG — A man was severely injured Monday when a train hit his truck at a railroad crossing where state money had been allotted to install a gate.

Ronald Morris, 61, was flown by a medical helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital after a Norfolk Southern Corp. train slammed into the passenger side of his white Ford Ranger on Kercher Street at about 9:30 a.m.

A witness told police the Miamisburg man appeared to get stuck on the tracks and was trying to escape before the impact.

“We’re thinking he just didn’t notice the train because (a witness) could see him trying to work the gear shift to take action to get off the tracks,” police Sgt. Jon Thompson said.

Morris was listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit on Monday night. Police said they do not expect to cite the operator of the train.

State money had previously been made available to install an automatic gate at the Kercher Street railroad crossing, according to attorney Konrad Kuczak.

Kuczak is representing Ralph Van Hoose Jr. in a lawsuit against the city and the railroad company. Van Hoose’s truck was struck by a train at the same crossing gate in 2008.

Kuczak has documents that show Norfolk Southern and the city of Miamisburg did not move on a $190,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation to install automatic gates at that intersection.

“The railroad is dragging their feet and it’s injuring people,” Kuczak said.

Officials with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, ODOT, the city of Miamisburg, Norfolk Southern and the Ohio Rail Development Commission recommended in September 2007 that a gate at the crossing be installed, according to Kuczak.

The installation was to be completed within a year.

Mandi Abner, a spokeswoman with ODOT, said engineering concerns at the time stalled the project.

And, according to Kuczak’s documents, Norfolk Southern in 2008 got an advanced order in an attempt to install multiple gates throughout Miamisburg instead of only one at Kercher Street. That would have cost more than $1 million.

“It’s been in limbo ever since,” Kuczak said. “And people are getting injured because there aren’t any gates.”

There have been four crashes involving cars and trains in Miamisburg since 2004, according to the city.

The issue may find resolve in the near future.

A “corridor improvement project” is on the table and may include the installation of gates at railroad crossings such as the one at Kercher Street.

In an email, Dave Pidgeon, a public relations manager at Norfolk Southern, said, “The Kercher Street grade crossing is part of a much larger corridor project that involves a series of crossings along a line of rail in and around Miamisburg, which is pending approval.

“We are not at liberty to say more,” Pidgeon said.

The project is long-term, according to Matt Dietrich, executive director of the ORDC, stretching from Columbus through Springfield and Dayton and into Cincinnati.

The Miamisburg portion is expected to be completed next spring.

“We’re hoping that next month we’ll get the City Council to authorize the city manager to sign that agreement,” he said.

“Once we get the signed agreements, it’s usually about a year (to completion).”

Gary Giles, public information director with the city of Miamisburg, said the state — through the ORDC — is working with Norfolk Southern on the project.

WHIO-TV contributed to this report. Contact this reporter at (937) 225-6983 or andrew.sedlak@coxinc.com.

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