The coroner’s office has identified a 73-year-old woman who was struck by a Metra train and killed Thursday evening in Lake Forest.
An autopsy showed Claire Osborn, 73, of Lake Forest, died as a result of severe blunt trauma, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
The Lake Forest Police Department and Lake Forest Fire Department responded around 8:04 p.m. Thursday to the area near Western Avenue and Laurel Avenue for a report of a pedestrian struck by a train.
Officers arrived and found Osborn deceased adjacent to the railroad tracks, according to Lake Forest Deputy Police Chief Rob Copeland.
Copeland said the victim was struck by a northbound Metra train and killed immediately.
Lake Forest police detectives continue to investigate the incident along with the Metra Police Department and the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
The woman’s manner of death was not immediately released but Copeland told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that detectives found “no reason the victim was on the tracks, in that spot, at that time of night.”
“There is no pedestrian crossing within a 1/4 mile of there so we can find no motive why she would be there trying to cross the tracks in the dark. Trains are plainly visible from both directions,” he said.
According to Metra, Union Pacific-North line train #355 struck the woman and all inbound and outbound train movement had been halted following the collision.
Inbound and outbound trains had resumed with extensive delays by 10:15 p.m. Thursday, Metra said.