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In the wake of the teen’s death, police are urging awareness of the following:
- Railroad tracks, trestles, yards and equipment are private property. "Walking or playing on them is not only dangerous, it's illegal," according to the Federal Railroad Administration. "Trespassers can be arrested and fined - the ultimate penalty is death."
- The only legal, safe place to cross tracks is at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings. Observe and obey all warning signs and signals.
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- It takes time for trains to come to a stop, and they consume more space than some people realize. "It takes a train almost a mile to come to a stop," said Cindi Threlkeld of the Miamisburg Police Department. "Trains overhang the tracks by almost three feet on both sides. So it's dangerous to even be walking on the gravel path along the railroad tracks."
- Ohio ranked ninth in 2016 among U.S. states in pedestrian rail trespass casualties, according to the FRA. Last year the state recorded 34 rail-related pedestrian casualties – defined as injuries and deaths, including 16 fatalities.
-MORE COVERAGE ON THIS ISSUE:
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