Ohio Edison cuts power after train-crane wreck

Cleanup of a creek near the crash already is under way.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- Homes, businesses and industries were darkened in parts of the city after a train wreck that affected utility lines and spilled hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel.
Ohio Edison crews switched off electricity at about noon Friday to begin repairs.
The wreck occurred at about 9:30 a.m. when an eastbound Norfolk Southern train slammed into a truck-crane owned by Diamond Steel Construction Co., Youngstown.
The accident happened at the South Ellsworth Avenue crossing on the city's south-side industrial area.
A train engineer and conductor were taken to Salem Community Hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries, said Rudy Husband, a Norfolk Southern spokesman.
No power
About 1,000 residences and businesses had power severed when repairs were undertaken by Ohio Edison.
Power was at least partly restored by about 2 p.m. An Edison spokeswoman said at midday Friday that it could be hours longer before repairs could be made to the heavy-duty transmission lines.
Some industries near the wreck site that are served by the transmission lines sent workers home early Friday because there was no power.
An Ohio Environmental Protection Agency official was on the scene to monitor the cleanup of about 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel that leaked from a punctured fuel tank on one of the three locomotives that were pulling the train, which had originated in Chicago and was bound for Morrisville, Pa.
Entered stream
An unknown amount of the spilled fuel entered Stone Mill Run, a tiny stream that runs near the railroad tracks. Authorities placed absorbent pads into the stream to soak up the spill.
Diesel fuel that enters streams can kill fish and plant life, said Kara Allison, an OEPA spokeswoman in Columbus.
Salem Patrolman Dave Talbert, who is investigating the accident, said no charges have been filed so far.
Authorities have determined that the truck-crane was being driven south on South Ellsworth by Norman Griffith, 53, of Burghill.
As the 80-foot-long rig crossed the tracks and attempted to turn west into an industrial drive, it became hung up and immobilized on the uneven terrain, Talbert said.
About 10 feet of the truck-crane's boom was left hanging over the tracks.
Within about a minute, a train approached, traveling east at about 50 mph.
A man with Griffith ran toward the train to warn the engineer. Griffith bolted from the rig.
"I was running for my life," he said later.
The engineer hit the brakes and had slowed the 45-car train to about 25 mph before it jolted the boom, sending the truck-crane whirling about 180 degrees. The crumpled rig sheared a utility pole before coming to rest, and pieces of broken metal littered the street.
The train was not derailed.
David Collins, Diamond Steel's president, examined the wreckage Friday.
"Today I'd rather be the janitor," he added.
Collins said he was thankful no one was badly injured.
"I can't be unhappy," he said. "There was a potential for disaster. It could have been worse."