Scenic Railroad Train Hits Car, One Woman Killed

JACKSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio –  A Stark county woman is dead, after her car collided with a Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad train at the Portage Street NW crossing, just west of Whipple Rd.

Jackson Township Fire Officials told FOX 8 that the fatal accident happened about 11:43 a.m. Friday. 

The train was traveling southbound, with seven passengers and two crew members on board, when it slammed into the driver’s side of a gold Honda Accord, driven by 85-year-old Wiladine VanWert of Jackson Twp.

The Stark County Coroner pronounced VanWert dead on the scene.

According to the Coroner’s Chief Investigator Harry Campbell, as the train drove through the intersection, VanWert drove right through the warning gate, and into the path of the oncoming train, causing a violent collision that ripped the driver’s side door off the car.

VanWert was the only person in the car.

No on on board the train suffered any injuries.

The crash remains under investigation.

Stay with FOX 8 News and http://www.fox8.com for any new details in this story.