Fatality Incidents

One last night on the UPNW...

Mt. Prospect Police Department Investigating a Train Crash Involving a Pedestrian

On Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at approximately 5:13 PM, the Mount Prospect Police Department responded to the Union Pacific Railroad Tracks near the intersection of Northwest Highway (Route 14) and Emerson Street for a report of a pedestrian that was struck by outbound Metra express commuter train #633.

Upon arrival, officers located a female subject who had sustained fatal injuries as a result of being struck by the train. The female is identified as Paula Maloney, a 61 year old Mount Prospect resident. This incident is still being investigated by the Mount Prospect Police Department, with the assistance of the Metra Police Department. There were no other injuries reported as a result of this incident.

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NEW LENOX, Ill. (CBS) -- Service on the Metra Rock Island line was disrupted on Friday afternoon after a train his a pedestrian near south suburban Mokena.

Around 3 p.m., Metra said in a tweet that inbound and outbound train movement was stopped near New Lenox because of the incident and that customers should expect extensive delays.

CBS 2's chopper was over the scene Friday evening.

Metra police said the female victim is dead but did not have any identifying information including her age. A death investigation is underway.

The agency said two trains were already not running Friday evening because of the incident. Metra said customers should expect extensive delays.

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what is it? Are older persons getting in the way of trains?

For those interested in the statistics:
https://railroads.dot.gov/accident-and- ... -age-group

One can do all sorts of sorting and filtering to see how many people were injured or killed by location and year how the incident was classified.

west point wrote:what is it? Are older persons getting in the way of trains?

The Mount Prospect incident sounded like she was distracted or inattentive and walked around the gates. Not intentional per the MPPD. Long time resident who was known for being out walking per the obit.

My guess is wearing headphones or earbuds and reading a screen or talking on the phone played a role. All that stuff tends to block out the distraction of things like warning bells and train horns...

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Wouldn't happen with fencing that this country is seemingly allergic to outside of eyesore interstates...

Depends. A lot of accidents are caused by pedestrians going around or under lowered gates; fencing the right-of-way won't stop that.

On the subject of statistics, are any pedestrian accidents classified by grade-crossing vs. trespassing on open right-of-way? I'm guessing the former would predominate.

"Grade crossing" only applies at places where it is legal to cross the tracks. Roads and pedestrian crossings.
"Trespassing" applies to people who are on railroad property without permission.

Statistics are reported by the railroads who are instructed to not include suicides in their reporting of deaths, however studies have shown that a high number of deaths reported to the FRA could have been classified as suicides (the number was 20% of the deaths reported 2001-2004, IIRC). People struck after going around crossing protection are often classified as trespassers in reporting to the FRA. (Which includes being struck at a crossing.)

One should not consider grade-crossing vs trespassing as mutually exclusive of each other or as inclusive of all classifications. Railroads also report injuries and deaths of railroad workers on duty, railroad workers off duty, passengers as well as trespassers and non-trespassers.

daybeers wrote: ↑Mon Sep 26, 2022 8:12 pm Wouldn't happen with fencing that this country is seemingly allergic to outside of eyesore interstates...

Fencing wouldn't have done a damn thing. The Mount Prospect accident happened at a grade crossing at the train station...

Mr. Olesen is "on mark"; fencing would not have done anything to avoid the Mt. Prospect incident he notes.

Of concern to me, is "device distraction". How often on my walks does someone wrapped up in "something electronic" could have collided with mr had I not gotten out of their way? With these White things hanging out of all too many people's ears nowadays and some seemingly talking to themselves appear to be a source of incidents such as Mt. Prospect.

Yes, I do take my phone with me on my (almost) daily three mile walks - often along BNSF Chicago Sub. But the phone is for measuring my steps and, if need arises, emergencies.

ExCon90 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 26, 2022 9:31 pm Depends. A lot of accidents are caused by pedestrians going around or under lowered gates; fencing the right-of-way won't stop that.

One of the most appalling train vs pedestrian incidents happened in Clarendon Hills a few years ago during national rail safety week while a safety event was taking place at the station. It was a case of a person running across the tracks to board the train on the other side. An express was barreling down the middle track…

I witnessed a woman almost get hit by an Inbound train today on the UP-NW Line at Palatine. The train was boarding from a different platform than normal, and she was already late for the train, so she attempted to dart across the tracks as it was almost on the crossing, and was mere seconds away from being hit. If the train wasn't stopping, she would have been hit. There was like 3 people, myself included screaming "NO!" at her cause we were scared to death she was going to get hit

Trains on the Metra UP-N line were delayed after a pedestrian was killed after being struck by a Metra train at a pedestrian crossing in North Chicago Monday morning.

The North Chicago Police Department, Metra Police Department and North Chicago Fire Department responded around 9 a.m. Monday to North Chicago Metra Station, 1633 Lakeside Avenue.

Police radio traffic indicated a pedestrian had been struck by a train on the pedestrian walkway.

A 911 caller reported the victim was “beyond help,” according to fire department radio traffic.

Paramedics arrived and confirmed a person was deceased.

Metra spokeswoman Meg Reile said the pedestrian was struck by Metra train #320, which was running delayed and had intended to start its run at 8:29 a.m. in Highland Park.

The train struck the pedestrian after leaving the Waukegan yard while en route to Highland Park, Reile said.

The Lake County Coroner’s Office was notified and responded to the scene.

A witness reported a woman had tried crossing the pedestrian walkway before the train passed but did not make it, according to police radio traffic.

Reile said officers are not allowing trains to stop at the North Chicago Metra Station due to the incident.

Commuters are recommended to board and get off at Waukegan or Great Lakes stations while trains bypass North Chicago.

Several trains on the Metra UP-N line have been delayed or canceled due to the collision, Metra reported.

This was at Route 59 in downtown. Gates were down and working. She walked around the gates, and the second train hit her....


https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/pe ... arrington/

BARRINGTON, Ill. (CBS) – A high school student was struck and killed by a Metra Union Pacific Northwest train Thursday morning in Barrington, causing extensive delays, and trains on three other Metra lines were delayed because of an Amtrak signal problem at Union Station.

Metra confirmed a person was struck by an inbound UP-NW train near Barrington around 7:45 a.m.

She has since been identified as 17-year-old Marin Lacson of Barrington by the Lake County Coroner's Office. Marin was a student at Barrington High School, and was trying to get to school at the time.