A 20-year-old woman from Tuscarawas and a 21-year-old man from the Dover area were killed Tuesday afternoon when they were struck by a train on a trestle over the Tuscarawas River near Zoar.
According to Tuscarawas Sheriff Orvis Campbell, the pair had gone hiking, and it appears they got trapped on a trestle that spans over the Tuscarawas River and state Route 212. Wheeling Lake Erie Railroad called 911 at 4:41 p.m. to report that they had struck two individuals on the railroad trestle.
“The train engineer indicates that as he was traveling south to north he came around the curve and saw them on the trestle, and they were coming back toward the train to try to get off. He immediately put the train into the emergency braking protocol to stop it as quickly as possible. The individuals did not make it off the trestle.”
He immediately put the train in the emergency braking protocol, but the individuals did not make it off the trestle. It appears both individuals died immediately. First responders found the individuals deceased, lying on the riverbank below.
The sheriff’s office and the coroner’s office are investigating.
“I know that it’s normal for kids to walk on railroad tracks, but these trestles don’t have any additional room. They’re only made to be wide enough for the train.”
The two victims have been identified as Hannah Smith of Tuscarawas and Jacob Bierwirth of Dover. The bodies of these individuals have been taken to Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsies.
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