Officials say a pedestrian fatally struck by a train Friday evening was a man in his 90s trying to cross the tracks to attend the Antioch High School football game.
The Antioch Fire Protection District and Antioch Police Department responded around 7:10 p.m. Friday to Route 173 east of Route 83 for a report of a train-involved crash with injuries.
Officers arrived to find a male pedestrian who had been struck by a train at the Canadian Pacific railroad crossing.
The man, who was in his 90s, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Village of Antioch Communication Manager Jim Moran.
Moran said the victim was crossing the tracks on the pedestrian crossing attempting to enter the football stadium when he was struck by the train.
The train was a Metra NCS line train that was scheduled to arrive at the Antioch station at 7:15 p.m.
Officers shut down Route 173 between Route 83 and McMillan Road for several hours.
A preliminary investigation showed the crossing gates were functioning properly, Moran said.
Multiple police departments and the Lake County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene.
Antioch Community School District 117 Superintendent Dr. Jeff Feucht said in an email to parents that the incident happened at the entrance to the Antioch Community High School stadium.
Feucht said no students were injured and the football game was happening when the incident occurred.
The game continued as scheduled but traffic was impacted on Route 173, Feucht said.
Families picking up students from the game were asked to go to the athletic entrance of the school.
Feucht said shuttle buses were running between the stadium’s north parking lot and the school due to the pathway closure to the stadium.
The Metra train involved was stopped for two hours and resumed travel just after 9 p.m.
The coroner’s office is in the process of scheduling an autopsy on the victim, whose identity has not been released.
The incident remains under investigation by the Antioch Police Department and Metra Police Department.