Jul 14, 2018 3 min read

The state Public Utility Commission is launching an investigation into the Centerville railroad crossing where a train crashed into a tanker truck carrying a hydrochloric acid solution four months ago.

PUC officials said they’ll scrutinize the point where Maple Glenn Road crosses a Norfolk Southern track near the road’s intersection with Route 88, where half a dozen accidents have been reported over the last few decades.

“The commission’s investigation will first evaluate whether the crossing is public or private,” read a statement from the PUC.

If it’s public, the commission will “gather evidence and testimony … to determine the condition of the rail crossing, the nature of the repairs or maintenance needed, and assignment of future maintenance responsibility of the crossing.”

Truck driver Jacob Shank, 42, of Portage County, Ohio, underwent surgery for his injuries following the March 6 crash, which also involved a CSX train operated by a Norfolk Southern crew.

An accident report completed by the Federal Railroad Administration said 40,000 pounds of hydrochloric acid was spilled. The cargo was headed for Forum Energy Technologies, which is on a private drive nearby.

The accident was the latest of six reported to the FRA since 1990 at the crossing, where there are crossbuck signs but no gate or red warning lights. Two previous crashes also caused injuries.

Residents previously told the Observer-Reporter accidents or near-misses are common there, and it’s hard for drivers turning left from the highway onto Maple Glenn to see approaching trains.

“It’s an inherently dangerous crossing,” said Carl Parise, who is defending Shank against criminal charges filed by borough police in connection with the crash. “Without any of the safety measures or notifications to the drivers on Route 88, it’s going to be something where corrective measures should have been taken a while ago. I think a lot of the residents down there echo that sentiment as well.”

Norfolk Southern spokesman Jonathan Glass said the company is “working with all stakeholders involved to review safety concerns at the Maple Glenn Road crossing, and we will assist the PUC in its investigation of the crossing.”

Norfolk Southern was among the entities represented at an informal field conference the PUC held at the site of the crossing April 12 in response to a request from state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, and several residents.

There, those present were told state and federal records classify the crossing as private. Following that meeting, however, “information was provided that may impact the public/private characterization of the crossing,” according to the PUC’s order initiating the investigation.

“Unraveling these things can be a challenge,” said PUC spokesman Nils Hagen-Fredericksen. “It depends on the history of the road and the parties that are involved,” as well as the legal status of the road.

If the crossing is private, the PUC has no jurisdiction, and the crossing is the responsibility of the railroad and property owner.

Parise said his client is home now, but he is unable to work and “has a long road to recovery.”

Shank is due to appear before District Judge Joshua Kanalis for a preliminary hearing July 27. Centerville police charged him in April with causing a catastrophe, risking a catastrophe, reckless endangerment and several traffic offenses.

Parise said he didn’t know yet if drivers were charged criminally after the previous accidents at the crossing, but “I would be surprised if they were.”

“I think in this case there’s a lot of other reasons for why that accident occurred, and not just to blame the truck driver,” he added.