HAMILTON, Ohio — Butler County has seen the most fatalities involving trains in the state of Ohio over the past decade, according to a report recently published by the Journal News.
The WCPO media partner found that Butler County reported 20 train-related deaths in the past decade, more than any other county in the Buckeye state.
Most of those incidents occurred at train crossing gates and involved a mix of motorists and pedestrians, the Journal News states. Impairment was also a contributing factor in many of the deaths.
Transportation officials also pointed out that Butler County has more than 121 miles of railroad track, some of the most for any Ohio county.
“You have more trains, you’re going to have more accidents,” said Julie Kaercher, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Rail Development Commission.
The most recent fatal incident involving a train happened on July 28 in Middletown. Judith Ashley, 62, admitted to taking prescription medication earlier in the day before crashing into a train and killing one passenger.
Cuyahoga County was the second deadliest county for train-related fatalities with 18, followed by Franklin with 17, Hamilton with 16 and Erie with 12.
