An 89-year-old woman died in a house fire in Lockland, Ohio, on Sunday after a stopped Norfolk Southern train blocked the route for first responders. Fire crews had to detour around the crossing, turning what the fire chief says is normally a 30-second drive into nearly seven minutes. The coroner identified the victim as Marian Haefner.
Village officials say the problem is not new. Mayor Mark Mason Sr. says Lockland has complained about blocked crossings for more than nine years, and Village Administrator and Fire Chief Doug Wehmeyer says the railroad doesn’t notify dispatch when a train stops. Federal law has overruled local and state efforts to fine railroads over stopped trains, which leaves communities with limited leverage. Norfolk Southern has apologized, but the mayor says an apology alone is not enough.
Here on the Suncoast, many of us know the frustration of a train sitting across a crossing with no warning and no end in sight. The story raises a straightforward question for any rail town: should railroads be required to call dispatch the moment a train blocks a crossing? Have you ever been delayed by a stopped train, and how did you handle it? Let us know on our social pages.
