Railroad
Victim Groups Unite, Stark Family Others Seek Safer Crossings
THE
REPOSITORY
November 21, 1999
By: Lori Monsewicz
and Dave Sereno-Repository staff writers
JACKSON TWP. - The
families came from as far away as Kansas, Virginia, and New
York.
They share one thing:
The tragedy of a deadly car-train crash.
Although many have
turned their experience into a personal crusade for rail
safety, they hope to bolster their message by working together.
On Saturday, the
30 people gathered at the Holiday Inn created the National
Coalition for Rail Safety, with an eye toward making the
roads safer for all U.S. drivers.
"We are organizing
because (railroad safety) is a national problem, and we don't
feel that anyone is paying attention to the fact that people
are being killed every 90 minutes at railroad crossings," said
Vicky Moore of Canal Fulton.
Mrs. Moore has immersed
herself in the rail industry since her son was killed in
a 1995 car-train collision.
She and her husband,
Dennis, formed Angels on Track, which is devoted to getting
flashing lights and gates installed at dangerous crossings
throughout Ohio.
A $5.4 million jury
award allows them to assist counties that need money for
improvements.
Too often these
crashes are blamed solely on the vehicle drivers, Mrs. Moore
said.
"We don't call
these accidents. These are collisions that could be prevented
had there been active warning devices at these crossings," she
said.
The Moores soon
discovered others leading safety crusades across the country.
They came up with the idea of unifying.
Some of those gathered
Saturday had formed their own organizations to crusade for
getting flashing lights and gates at railroad crossings where
their own family members have died. Others were parents just
seeking emotional support.
The tables where
participants sat were topped with tissue boxes.
"We know it
was going to be really emotional, and we're here to support
each other," Mrs. Moore said.
But sadness wasn't
the only emotion.
Many involved are
frustrated with the rail industry and the officials who govern
it.
Not enough is being
done to improve safety, they say.
"You know that
you're not in this alone, but at the same time, it makes
us angry because (railroad safety) is not a priority until
someone is killed, " Mrs. Moore said.
Tom O'Leary, exectuve
directory of the Ohio Rail Development commission, disputes
the motion that the state is slow to make improvements and
shuns technological advancements.
In recent years,
the time it takes to get safety lights and gates installed
has been cut in half, he said.
Any new safety device
must get federal approval, an extremely slow process, he
said.
The commission has
set aside $5 million, one-third of its budget, for improvement
projects identified by local task forces.
"We're not
stick-in-the-mud lackeys who sit in the lap of railroads
and just do what they tell us,"
O'Leary said.
The Moores' 16-year-old
son, Ryan, was one of three teens killed when a train struck
the car Ryan's older brother was driving at Deerfield Avenue
NW in Lawrence Township.
Also killed in the
1995 crash were Joshua White, 17, and Alyson Ley, 16, of
Clinton.
White's family joined
the Moores to sue rail operator Conrail, saying the crash
could have been prevented if flashing lights and gates had
been installed at the bottom of a steep hill where Conrail's
tracks cross Deerfield.
The Moores used
their share of the $7 million jury award to form their nonprofit
foundation.
A number of counties
across Ohio have begun working with Angels on Track to get
matching funds for safety improvements.
To earn grant money,
a county first must form a rail taskforce. The group then
must study and prioritize crossings it wants to improve.
Wayne County, one
of the first to work with Angels, is set to receive $62,000
soon. Delaware County recently applied for $40,000.
In the meantime,
Mrs. Moore hopes Saturday's inaugural conference can lead
to a larger gathering in 2000.
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