Authorities have identified the two individuals who were struck and killed by a train Tuesday evening while walking on a railroad trestle just east of Zoar.
The Tuscarawas County Coroner’s Office said the victims were 20-year-old Hannah Smith of Tuscarawas and 21-year-old Jacob Bierwirth of Dover.
Emergency crews were called to the scene around 4:31 p.m., when the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad reported that a train had struck two people on a trestle bridge spanning the Tuscarawas River, Towpath Trail, and State Route 212. The location is between the village of Zoar and Tusky Valley Road.
Responders from the Bolivar, Mineral City, and Strasburg fire departments assisted the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies found the victims below the bridge on the riverbank and pronounced them dead at the scene.
According to the sheriff’s office, a preliminary investigation suggests Smith and Bierwirth were walking along the elevated tracks when the train approached. The engineer reportedly engaged emergency braking protocols but was unable to stop in time.
The bodies were transported to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsies.
The incident remains under investigation by the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office, the coroner’s office, and the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Company, which is cooperating with authorities.
