Boy, 15, fatally struck by Amtrak train while biking in Glenview

[mahatmakanejeeves]

No, you won't hear it coming in time to get off the tracks.

Boy, 15, fatally struck by Amtrak train while biking in Glenview

An autopsy released Saturday ruled the death an accident.

By Sun-Times Wire Updated Jul 2, 2022, 4:59pm EDT

A 15-year-old boy was struck and killed by an Amtrak train while biking Friday evening in Glenview, authorities said. ... Just before 7 p.m., Ryan McDonagh was hit by a train at the Glen of North Glenview station, 2301 Lehigh Ave., according to Glenview police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

McDonagh was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The medical examiner’s office said he lived in Northbrook. ... Amtrak said that McDonagh was struck at a pedestrian crossing. The rail company said that the crossing was equipped with warning devices, and none of the train’s 178 passengers were injured.

Autopsy results released Saturday ruled his death an accident. The medical examiner’s office indicated McDonagh was on a bicycle at the time, but authorities haven’t released additional details.

Glenview police were assisting Amtrak police in their investigation.

[jimfields33]

1. Trains need to have a warning sound one mile at least before it hits the victim.

It’s getting ridiculous that these train conductors are killing people all the time.

[Gore1FL]

2. Mostly these are due to trespassing.

Outside of communities that restrict it for noise, there is mandatory horn use at crossings.

https://www.up.com/real_estate/roadxing/industry/horn_quiet/index.htm

[ShazzieB]

3. Sounds to me like a typical case of racing to mget across the tracks before the train got there.

And obviously miscalculating.

The Chicago area (including Glenview) is riddled with grade level railroad crossings that lend themselves all too well to this sort of thing. Some involve busy streets in congested areas, which is not a great situation.

When a train is coming, it's pretty hard to miss, though.The signals start flashing, the bells start clanging, and the bars go down. Everyone knows exactly what's happening. But every now and then, there will be someone who just HAS to try to beat the train, and they don't always make it.

To induce people to resist that temptation, the state keeps jacking up the fines for ignoring railroad crossing signals, to the point where it's now $500 for a first offense. It has helped, but I don't think there's any way to eliminate the problem completely. Idiots are going to idiot, you know?

And this is a case of a teenager on a bike. Kids that age are prone to taking chances and a bike can warily weave around and between the crossing bars in a way that a car can't. The temptation must have been very strong.

Nobody likes having to wait for a train. I think this kid probably thought he'd be able to make it and took a chance he shouldn't have taken. It's very sad, even tragic. But it's unlikely that yet another warning signal or sound would have a difference, imo.

[murielm99]

4. They do.

Listen for the train whistle. When approaching a crossing: Long, long, short long.

When leaving the station: Two short blasts. There are others. I don't remember all of them. They are standard for all railroads. My dad and brother were lifelong railroad employees.