Train
Victim's Parents Fund Safety Project
The Independent
August 4, 1999
by:
Tom Prusha
Bethlehem Township
trustees have granted a request from the Angels on Track
Foundation for installation of a new high-tech warning system
at the Lawndell Avenue Southwest crossing.
The foundation,
dedicated to enhancing rail crossing safety, was created
by Dennis and Vicky Moore of Lawrence Township. The Moores'
son, Ryan, was killed along with two other teens in a 1995
car-train crash at the Deerfield Avenue crossing in Bethlehem
Township. Three other teens in the car were injured in the
accident.
The foundation was
created with $5.4 million awarded to the Moores in a civil
judgment stemming from their son's death.
The equipment to
be installed at the Lawndell crossing was donated to Angels
on Track by the Nebraska-based EVA Signal Corp.
It is a state-of-the-art
warning system which combines the traditional crossbuck sign
with red flashing lights, a strobe bar five feet above the
crossbuck and an indicator which shows the direction of an
approaching train.
The
Lawndell crossing is on the Wheeling & Lake Erie line.
The work has the blessing of railroad officials, but the
project still must be approved by the Ohio Department of
Transportation (ODOT).
Once approved, EVA
Signal said it will take about a week to 10 days to install
the gates, Vicky Moore said.
"We chose the
Lawndell crossing because it is on a high-speed line and
Lawndell is a busy street. Also a man ran into a train there
years ago. He wasn't killed but he was disabled,"
she said. "I know there are more dangerous crossings in
Stark County, but this is a crossing which had approval from
the railroad."
About three trains
a day use the tracks.
"This is a
win-win situation for us," said Trustee President Richard
Regula in recommending trustees approve the plan.
Trustees Richard
Shetler and Dean Goodman agreed, and the motion won unanimous
approval.
In
other action Tuesday, trustees decided to hold contract
discussions with Bethlehem Fire & Rescue Inc. officials
at the next regular meeting, set for Aug. 17.
The trustees also
learned the township zoning commission will meet Aug. 10
to discuss cellular towers and fences around industrial areas
in the township.
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