Railroad safety in Ohio is among the worst in the country, though research suggests the Warren-Youngstown area is more safety conscious than most other areas of the state.
Sixty-three at-grade collisions occurred in Ohio last year, according to preliminary statistics compiled by the Federal Railroad Administration, the eighth most in the country, meaning 3 percent of all rail collisions occurred in the state.
There were nine fatalities stemming from the accidents, which is the 10th most in the country.
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio said there are more than 6,000 at-grade crossings in the state. An at-grade crossing is when train tracks intersect with a public or private road. Many of those crossings do not have gates and lights and the average cost of installing them is about $180,000, according to PUCO.
Ohio, however, has had most of its safety issues involving people loitering near the tracks. The state ranks fourth in the country with 24 fatalities by trespassers last year, although none occurred in Trumbull County since 2006.
An international nonprofit organization that seeks to educate people on the dangers around rail lines, Operation Lifesaver recently commissioned a study in conjunction with CSX Railroad Co. on the amount of people trespassing on the railroad's property, which includes the tracks and surrounding area.
The study asked CSX engineers to simply observe and report where and when they noticed trespassers throughout the last year.
It found that the Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati regions had the highest amount of trespassers, while Warren and Youngstown, had "relatively low incidents," said Sheldon Seneck, Operation Lifesaver's Ohio coordinator.
Seneck said his organization identified three types of people who are at-risk for potential injuries while trespassing on railroad property: school-age children who cross the tracks as a shortcut on the way to and from school, people who use the area for recreational purposes, such as riding dirt bikes, four-wheelers or for jogging, and homeless people who stay near the tracks.
''About 10 years ago, motor vehicle crashes with trains were peaking and trespassing collisions were on the rise," Seneck said. ''The bell curve shifted, and drivers are doing better but people afoot are doing poorly.''