DECEMBER 2017
An Ohio Department of Transportation spokesman said officials are considering adding rumble strips on the shoulders of Route 7 in the area where a big rig recently toppled into John Kasiewicz’s yard.
“It is something that we are currently looking into and currently analyzing and going through our processes to see if it is warranted in that area,” said spokesman Brent Kovacs.
Despite the review, it’s a mystery why the Freightliner and two other trucks in the past year have gone off the road and onto their sides in the same spot. The road, which was resurfaced within the last two years, is dead straight in this area, and the driver said he was adhering to the 45 mph speed limit.
Truck driver Tyler Reichwein, right, talks to an Ohio Highway Patrol inspector after this crash on Route 7.
“We can’t figure out any reason why these crashes are happening,” Kovacs said.
Kasiewicz said the two-foot-wide shoulders are too soft, but they are on all of Route 7, not just in front of his house in the 900 block.
“I don’t know why it’s bad right there,” he said.
Ninety-two percent of all accidents are caused by human error, and that appears to be the case in these instances, Kovacs said.
Ohio Highway Patrol cited driver Tyler Reichwein, 27, of Locustdale, Pa., with failure to control in the Nov. 3 crash. He was pulling a flatbed trailer carrying two aluminum coils.
Reichwein pleaded no contest Nov. 28 and was fined $150 and costs.
In addition to the trucks, several other vehicles have ended up in Kasiewicz’s yard, including a pickup that missed the steps of his house by about a foot, he said.
“I’m not fearful,” he said. “I take the Lord in prayer. I don’t know what to do about it.”
The prospect of rumble strips has come up before, Kasiewicz said.
“It’s something to think about,” he said.
