Train/vehicle crashes under investigation

VW independent staff/submitted information

Three train-vehicle crashes occurred in northwest Ohio last week, including one near Payne. One of the crashes claimed a life and all three accidents are under investigation.

No one was hurt when a Norfolk Southern train hit a semi-truck on State Line Road, right at the Ohio-Indiana line at approximately 4 p.m. last Thursday. The trucker got out of the cab prior to impact and he escaped without injury. The trailer on the semi was empty and the train didn’t derail. No one on the train was injured. Payne Fire & EMS assisted at the scene.

The other two accidents took place closer to Toledo. One occurred at approximately 7:15 a.m. Thursday, November 30, in the village of Holland, in Lucas County. Michael Anthony Malczewski, 38, of Toledo, was driving a 2017 Honda Civic south on Holloway Road. The gates were down and there was a stopped train away from the intersection on the tracks. Malczewski drove around the gates and his vehicle was struck by an Amtrack train that was traveling west on the other set of tracks. The train came to a stop west of the intersection, near Wentworth Road, with the Honda Civic still on the tracks. Malczewski was pronounced dead at the scene. There were 163 passengers on board the 13 cars of the Amtrack train. Minor injuries were reported. The crew was not injured.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol was assisted by the Holland Police Department, the Lucas County Sheriff’s Department, Springfield Township Fire & EMS, Lucas County Coroner’s Office and Bubba’s Towing.

The third crash occurred just before 5:30 a.m. Saturday on Walbridge Road near Owen Road in Lake Township, not far from Northwood.

A Ford Fusion driven by Vinod Venkatesan, 35, pf Flint, Michigan, was eastbound on Walbridge Road when it became stuck on the railroad tracks. The driver exited the vehicle before it was struck by a northwest bound Amtrak train.

The Amtrak train had 112 passengers and crew on board. The train consisted of six railcars and a locomotive and was traveling from Pittsburgh to Toledo.

The railroad was closed until just before 7 a.m., when Amtrak cleared the scene. No injuries were reported in the crash.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Lake Township Police Department, Norfolk Southern Police Department, Amtrak, and Pat & Son Towing & Recovery.