SHELBY COUNTY, Ohio - What officials described as a 'perfect storm' resulted in a tractor-trailer being struck by a train Thursday night, resulting in the trailer being sheared in half, spewing auto parts along the tracks and roadway.
The incident happened about 7 o'clock at the CSX crossing along Fort Loramie Swanders Road in the rural, unincorporated community of Swanders, about two miles south of the Village of Anna in Shelby County.
Sergeant Matt Luthman of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said the semi driver, identified as 43-year-old Asrorkhon Sultankhanov, of Nashville, Tennessee, was eastbound on Fort Loramie Swanders Road heading to the nearby Honda Anna Engine Plant. Luthman said the weight of the trailer, combined with the steep grade of the crossing, caused the trailer to become stuck and could not be freed by the driver.
According to Luthman, the truck driver only had about two minutes to get out of the truck before it was struck by a northbound CSX train. Sultankhanov tried to get the attention of the train's engineer, but there was no way to stop in time to avoid the collision. The engineer and conductor aboard the train were not injured.
CSX officials on the scene inspected the train for mechanical damage before moving it away from the crossing to allow the damage and mess to be cleared from the area. No obvious damage was noted to the train; however, it was being moved to a railroad siding in Wapakoneta for closer inspection.
Luthman said Sultankhanov was at fault, but was not cited. There are no weight or truck restrictions along that area of the road.
Train and road traffic were closed down for several hours while towing and recovery crews emptied the engine parts from the trailer halves and cleaned up the debris.
Crews from the Anna Fire Department assisted at the scene. Representatives from the Dayton-based trucking company also responded to the crash.
