Ashley and Janice Martin, 64, of Middletown, had been picking up children for an evening vacation Bible school at Church at Mayfield when the crash occurred.
Martin died from blunt force trauma to the chest after being transported to Atrium Medical Center. The nine children in the van, ages 4-10, were treated and released from Atrium Medical Center and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, according to the church.
Vicodin is a prescription pain killer, and Adderall is used to treat conditions such as narcolepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Patients taking Vicodin are to avoid driving or operating machinery until they know how the drug affects them, according to the website Drugs.com. Vicodin may also impair thinking or reaction, and among its most common side effects are dizziness and/or lightheadedness, which could cause falls or other accidents. Other side effects include headaches and blurred vision.
The manufacturer of Adderall warns patients to be careful if they drive or do anything that requires being alert, according to Drugs.com. Some of its side effects include mood changes, feeling nervous, headaches and dizziness.
A search warrant was served July 29 to obtain a blood sample from Ashley, 62, of Middletown.
The blood sample taken when she arrived at Atrium Medical Center was sent to the Ohio Highway Patrol’s Crime Lab for further analysis, according to Nathan Stanfield of the patrol’s Hamilton post.
Charges against Ashley are pending until the lab results are returned, which should be sometime next week, he said.
Jerry Bryant, Ashley’s attorney, said she’s recovering from her injuries and no charges have been filed against her. He declined to comment further, but did confirm to the Journal-News that her husband, the Rev. Gary Ashley, owns the van she was driving. Gary Ashley is the interim pastor at Church at Mayfield.
Because the van is privately owned, there are no requirements under Ohio law that the driver have a commercial driver license, which includes a check that someone is medically certified to drive, said Greg Massey, an Ohio Highway Patrol supervisor.
Massey said the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles requires church buses and vans be inspected in order to get church bus license plates if the vehicle is titled in the church’s name.
However, he said, it’s “a gray area” when privately-owned vehicles are used for church purposes because there are no requirements.
‘All of this could have been prevented’
Nora Dunn, whose four grandchildren were injured in the crash, remembers answering the door and being told there had been an accident.
“It was like, ‘Oh my gosh. Are you serious?’” Dunn said.
A few minutes later, she realized just how serious.
By the time Dunn drove from her Middletown home to Atrium Medical Center, she said hospital staff was meeting with relatives of the nine children injured.
Dunn, 53, said she spent several minutes checking on her grandchildren in the emergency room because they were being treated in three separate rooms.
“I was going in circles,” she said.
Two of her grandchildren were transported to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. All four were eventually treated and released, she said.
She said her grandchildren are “damaged but OK.”
One of her grandchildren “relives the accident every night,” she said, adding that he talks in his sleep about being hit by a train.
Dunn said “all of this could have been prevented.”
Then she added: “Why jeopardize these kids? There are labels on those bottles.”
Investigation continues
A crash re-constructionist is still reviewing the crash information, according to Sgt. Tom Bloomberg of the highway patrol.
Last week, Lt. Clint Arnold, Hamilton post commander of the highway patrol, said the investigation would be “looking into all possible reasons why someone would drive into a train.”
Among the things being reviewed were the possibility of any significant distractions, vehicle defects, impairment and Ashley’s medical condition.
Arnold said problems with the van’s brakes have already been ruled out as they were found to be operational. The rail crossing was also fully functional as the lights, bell and gate were all operational at the time of the crash. In addition, there were no skid marks or any other signs of the driver taking evasive action to steer away from crashing into the train, he said.
The patrol’s report said Ashley and all nine children were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash and both the driver and front seat passenger airbags were deployed.
While the crash report indicated that it was unknown if Martin was wearing a seat belt, Warren County Coroner’s Investigator Doyle Burke said last week that Martin, who was riding in the front passenger seat, was not wearing a seat belt and that rescue crews found her on the floor board of the van.
The train that consisted of two CSX engines and three cars was just pulling out from a nearby scrapyard and was travelling about three miles an hour at the time of the crash.
Ashley suffered substantial injuries, but on Friday was no longer listed in Atrium Medical Center’s directory, according to spokeswoman Sharon Howard.
Memorial services for Martin are scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 14 at Church at Mayfield, 3311 Burbank Ave.
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