Bonacorsi v. Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Co.

{¶ 1} In July 1996, plaintiff-appellant, Cris A. Bonacorsi, was seriously injured1 when the motorcycle he was driving collided with the engine of a freight train at a railroad crossing on Howe Road in Brimfield Township, Ohio. The train was owned and operated by defendant-appellee, Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Company (“W&LE”).

{¶2} At the time of the accident, signs were posted along Howe Road warning westbound motorists, such as Bonacorsi, of the upcoming crossing. Posted approximately eight hundred fifty feet before the crossing was a round, yellow sign with a large black X flanked by two…