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police officers investigate

A 62-year-old woman from Summit Ill., was reportedly struck by an eastbound Metra train near the Willow Springs Road rail grade crossing an April 20. La Grange Police are continuing to withhold the victim’s name until next of kin are notified of the occurrence.

La Grange Police units were dispatched at approximately 6:22 a.m. to the Peck and Hillgrove area of La Grange to investigate an apparent collision between a train and a pedestrian, according to a press release from the La Grange Police Department. The LGPD later reported that a fatality had occurred on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) rail line.

The collision resulted in the temporary closing of BNSF rail grade crossings at Gilbert and Brainard avenues until 9:30 a.m. that morning. Police later reported that information provided by witnesses of the event suggest that the Summit woman committed suicide.

Though the fatality was later confirmed to be a suicide, its occurrence initially sparked conversation among locals about train safety.

“Frequently we see students crossing the tracks illegally, and we tend to call it in. It’s important to cross safely,” said Sheri Wernsing, an executive director of the LADSE special education facility that is located a few hundred feet from where the incident occurred.

Laws surrounding train safety are intended to protect the public from significant dangers imposed upon people who choose to cross the tracks illegally.