Boy, 11, killed at rail crossing

Toledo Edison worker Nick Lyon pauses at the scene of an accident on Pemberville Road in which an 11-year-old Lake Township boy was killed by a train while riding his bicycle across the tracks. Mr. Lyon was first to reach the boy, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident occurred yesterday morning.

Witnesses finish giving statements after the accident that killed Naylor Cecil Squires.

An 11-year-old Lake Township boy was killed yesterday when he was struck by a train at a Pemberville Road crossing while he attempted to cross the railroad tracks on his bicycle.

Naylor Cecil Squires, of 3710 Ayers Rd., Apt. 5, was waiting for a westbound train to pass at about 11:20 a.m. as he was heading north on Pemberville in Wood County. He attempted to cross the tracks, which are south of Walbridge Road, while the warning gates were activated and was struck by an eastbound train on parallel tracks, said Sgt. Bill Stidham of the Ohio Highway Patrol's Walbridge post.

Both the boy and his Dynacraft bicycle were thrown along the south side of the tracks. The youth, who was a student at Lake Elementary School, was pronounced dead at the scene by Lake Township EMS paramedics.

After acting Wood County Coroner Manuel Delaserna ordered an autopsy, the body was taken to the Lucas County Coroner's Office, troopers said.

Nick Lyon, 25, said he saw the accident from the Toledo Edison Co. truck he was sitting in on Pemberville Road, and was the first to approach the child. "I checked the pulse, but he was totally unresponsive when I got to him," he said. "He didn't say anything."

Police said three people were on the train at the time of the accident, including engineer Eddie King, 33, of Toledo; conductor Casey Donley, 20, of Oregon, and student conductor Ora Pettaway III, 26, of Toledo. No crew members were injured on the 80-car Norfolk Southern freight train, which was headed from Detroit to Bellevue, Ohio.

Officials will be pulling event recorder tapes to determine the speed of the train and whether the whistle was blown in accordance with rules that require it to sound at public road crossings, said Rudy Husband, Norfolk Southern spokesman.

The speed limit for general merchandise freight trains on the Norfolk tracks is 50 mph.

Toledo Edison worker Nick Lyon pauses at the scene of an accident on Pemberville Road in which an 11-year-old Lake Township boy was killed by a train while riding his bicycle across the tracks. Mr. Lyon was first to reach the boy, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident occurred yesterday morning.

Mr. Husband said the crew was relieved from duty after the accident, and the train remained parked for several hours - blocking several local roads - until a replacement crew was summoned.

Agencies who assisted at the scene include the Wood County sheriff's department; Lake Township EMS, and the Lake Township, Clay Township, and Norfolk Southern police departments.

Sergeant Stidham said the crash remains under investigation.

The accident occurred about two miles west of a crossing where a 17-year-old Lake High School senior was killed in 2000 in a car-train crash.

Blade Staff Writer David Patch contributed to this report.

Contact Erika Ray at:

eray@theblade.com

or 419-724-6088.