She was ejected from a minivan and was dead on impact with the Norfolk Southern freight train, according to Sheriff Mike Simpson.
Her 8-year-old son was with her. He was taken by CareFlight to Dayton Children’s Hospital, where he received stitches and is OK, Simpson said.
Simpson said there are double railroad tracks at the private crossing and there was a stopped train on one of the tracks. He said the woman, who crossed the tracks to get home every day, may not have seen the other train heading toward her on the other track.
The 1,948-foot train was fully loaded and heading out of Fort Wayne, Ind., to Cincinnati, said David Pidgeon, public relations manager for Norfolk Southern.
How fast the train was going was not immediately available, but Pidgeon said that section of track is rated for 60 mph. Police and medics responded at about 7:35 p.m.
Pidgeon said engineers are supposed to blow the horn when approaching private crossings. It is not known this early in the investigation whether the train’s engineer used the horn.
Pidgeon added that the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio determines what safety features, as in lights and gates, are needed at railroad crossings. There is a stop sign at the crossing, but no gates or lights.
Jason Gilham, a PUCO spokesman, said Wednesday afternoon that the commission does not have jurisdiction over private crossings.
Also Wednesday, grief counselors were on hand at Camden Primary school, where Brandenburg was a volunteer who planned kindergarten graduation ceremonies.
A family member of the victim tells us the woman who was killed was returning from a relative’s home when the accident occurred. The same family member said the woman’s husband, who was mowing the lawn, and their children witnessed the crash.
The case remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office and the Preble County Coroner’s Office.
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