Ohio: Preble deputy suffers head injury in Eaton crash

The Preble County Sheriff’s deputy injured when he was hit by a semitrailer at the railroad tracks was identified as Capt. Brad Moore, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Whether anyone will be cited in the train-semitrailer accident that sent a Preble County sheriff’s deputy to a hospital will be determined by the Ohio Highway Patrol investigation, said Sgt. Jerod Keyes of the Dayton post.

The deputy was hit by the semitrailer as he stood in the roadway on U.S. 35 at West Lexington Road, frantically waiving the big rig to continue across railroad tracks as the crossing gates were coming down and a freight train was approaching, Keyes said.

Keyes said the impact of the collision involving the train and the semi caused the trailer to shift and hit the deputy. The train was estimated to be traveling at 25 mph to 29 mph. Neither the semi driver nor anyone on the train’s crew was injured.

At the time of the accident, two deputies were handling a crash on U.S. 35 just west of the railroad tracks that involved a pickup truck and a vehicle, Keyes said. That was at 3:30 p.m. They were directing traffic around the accident scene when one of the deputies waived the semitrailer to come across the tracks about 4:20 p.m.

“The semi hesitates, becomes stuck on the tracks and the crossing arms begin to come down,” Keyes said. “For some reason, the truck driver hesitated. May be he thought he was clear.”

Keyes said the conductor and crew “saw the semi on the tracks. They tried to slow down the best they could.”

The deputy injured when he was hit by a semitrailer at the railroad tracks suffered a head injury and has been taken to Kettering Medical Center, Preble County Sheriff Mike Simpson said.

Simpson said he would not be releasing the deputy’s name.

The crash happened on U.S. 35 at West Lexington Road, near the Henny Penny Corp. West Lexington Road, between U.S. 35 and Park Avenue, remains closed for the accident investigation.