A woman reportedly riding a bicycle died after she was struck by a freight train along the Metra North Central Service line in downtown Grayslake Tuesday evening.
The Grayslake Police Department and Grayslake Fire Department responded around 8:12 p.m. Tuesday to the area of Grayslake Central High School, 400 North Lake Street, for a traumatic injury call.
A 911 caller reported a person on a bicycle had been struck by a train across the street at Lake Street and Hillside Avenue.
The incident response was upgraded and emergency crews arrived and confirmed one person was deceased, according to police radio traffic.
Metra spokesperson Meg Thomas-Reile said a female was reportedly riding a bicycle when she was struck by a freight train.
The incident occurred along Canadian National Railway’s train line, which Metra uses for its North Central Service (NCS) line.
Thomas-Reile said service had already ended for the night on the NCS line when the crash occurred.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office was notified and responded to the scene to take possession of the victim.
The coroner’s office said they are working to positively identify the victim, who was an adult female.
Her identity has not been confirmed as of Wednesday morning but the coroner’s office believes they know her identity. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Thomas-Reile said the Metra Police Department was called to the scene and is the lead agency on the investigation.
Investigators are still working to determine the circumstances of what led to the collision.
The Grayslake Police Department said the railroad crossings at Lake Street, Hillside Avenue and Center Street in downtown Grayslake were temporarily closed for several hours due to the emergency response.
“Please use an alternate route until emergency crews have cleared the scene,” the department said in an alert to the community.