Investigators say a woman, who was a finance executive and mother of seven children, rode her bicycle directly into the path of a train, while the warning lights were activated, in Grayslake earlier this month.
The Grayslake Police Department and Grayslake Fire Department responded around 8:12 p.m. on June 9 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, later identified as Virginia Girmscheid, 60, of Grayslake, 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 Girmscheid was deceased at the scene, according to police radio traffic.
Metra spokesperson Meg Thomas-Reile said the woman was 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 Girmscheid for an autopsy.
An autopsy performed on June 10 showed that Girmscheid died as a result of blunt force injuries consistent with being struck by a train, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
An obituary said Girmscheid was a “deeply loved mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend” and her family “deeply” mourns her death.
Girmscheid was born in Highland Park and obtained an accounting degree from the University of Illinois.
She served non-profit organizations, including Stepping Stones Network, where she worked as the Chief Financial Officer at the time of her death.
Stepping Stones Network said Girmscheid was a “foundational part” of the organization.
“She played a key role in building our Moms & Kids Program. Through her leadership, diligence, and unwavering attention to detail, she helped lay a firm financial, operational, and spiritual foundation that will enable this work to continue to flourish,” Stepping Stones Network said.
Girmscheid leaves behind a husband of 39 years and seven children, as well as nieces and nephews and a granddaughter.
Her obituary said Girmscheid “lived a life of self-sacrifice, emanating joy amidst all circumstances.”
“She loved people fiercely, never passing up the opportunity to encourage each person she met with God’s love and truth. Mother of seven, she was an unstoppable force with seemingly endless energy. Her strength and determination remained evident throughout her courageous battle with cancer,” her obituary said.
The Metra Police Department was called to the scene and is the lead agency on the investigation.
Thomas-Reile told Lake and McHenry County Scanner in an update on Wednesday that police obtained three statements from eyewitnesses that described the bells and lights activating at the crossing as Girmscheid proceeded on the sidewalk, right into the path of the train.
“No indication that this was anything other than a preventable tragedy,” Thomas-Reile said, adding that the coroner will rule a final manner of death.
Thomas-Reile said pedestrians and drivers should not proceed through a railroad crossing when the gates are down and the lights are activated.
“The gates and lights activating mean that a train will be passing through the intersection within 15 to 30 seconds. Trains cannot stop quickly so even if the engineer sees you, they are not going to be able to stop in time,” she said.
Thomas-Reile said it is impossible for the human eye to determine how fast a train is traveling when looking down the tracks.
“It’s the same effect as when you look at a plane traveling overhead. It appears to be moving slowly but intellectually you know it’s traveling at 100s of miles per hour,” she added.