Police say a 15-year-old girl was the victim who died after being struck by a freight train at a crossing in downtown Mundelein Saturday afternoon where the signals were reportedly working properly.
The Mundelein Police Department and Mundelein Fire Department responded around 2:20 p.m. Saturday to the area of 209 East Park Street in Mundelein for a report of a train-involved crash.
Emergency crews arrived and found a pedestrian who had been struck by a train, according to emergency radio traffic.
The victim was pinned underneath the train when responders arrived and was unconscious and not breathing.
Mundelein Police Department Commander Rick Wilfenger said the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office was notified and responded to take possession of the victim for an autopsy.
Wilfenger said the victim was a 15-year-old girl. She was struck by a southbound Canadian National freight train.
The victim’s identity has not been released yet. An autopsy is likely to be performed on Monday.
The incident happened on the Canadian National Railway along Metra’s North Central Service (NCS) line.
The NCS line does not operate on the weekend.
The Canadian National Police Service responded to the scene to investigate with the Mundelein Police Department.
Police said numerous crossings in town were blocked and unavailable to traffic due to the incident.
Those included the crossings at Route 176, Park Street, Morris Avenue and Hawley Street.
“Motorists are advised to avoid the area and seek alternate routes until further notice. Please allow for additional travel time and follow all posted detours and directions from emergency personnel,” the police department said.
“We appreciate your patience and cooperation as officers work to safely manage the situation. Updates will be provided as they become available,” the department added.
The Mundelein Fire Department declined to release information on the incident and deferred comment to the Mundelein Police Department.
Wilfenger said the railroad crossing signals were all working properly in the area of the collision.
There were no witnesses except for the train’s engineer, Wilfenger said, adding that he could not comment yet whether it was believed to have been an accident or not.
The circumstances of the crash remain under investigation by the Mundelein Police Department and the Canadian National Police Service.