A young woman was struck and killed while crossing railroad tracks at a Chicago station. Now her family is fighting for better safety measures.
Grace Bentkowski, 22, died on July 25 after crossing the tracks at Hegewisch station with no visibility.
She graduated from Ball State University in May and recently started as an Associate Creative Producer for NewsNation.
The TV journalist was headed home to Dyer, Indiana, on the South Shore Line and followed several others who crossed the tracks towardShe walked to the parking lot, but unfortunately seemed unaware of the approaching train.
“No sound, nothing. On the video, all you hear is a dull thud, then the engineer blows a horn,” said father Phil Bentkowski WGN.
Grace Bentkowski (pictured), 22, graduated from Ball State University in May and recently started as an Associate Creative Producer for NewsNation
The TV journalist was hit and killed on July 25 when he crossed the railway tracks at Hegewisch station (photo)
“Her phone wasn’t damaged, she wasn’t in the car with it, and she had her AirPods in her bag. The only thing she had in her hand was her car keys.”
Footage of the incident showed Grace seeing others walking on the tracks, but her view was blocked by a large pillar, her family said.
“My first thought was ‘that’s not possible.’ I figured if you were to get hit by a train leaving the station, it wouldn’t be going that fast and the worst case scenario would be maybe a broken leg. It’s the worst nightmare ever,” said Phil Bentkowski,
“It’s such a safety issue, this is 2024, I don’t know why there are no ‘stop, look, listen’ safety signs — it doesn’t make sense. She was thrown 50 feet.”
Now her family is fighting for better safety measures and seeking answers to the question of how this could have happened. They found that there was insufficient signage and no seat belts around the station tracks.
Family and friends remember Grace Bentkowski as a hardworking journalist with a bright future ahead of her.
“She was beautiful, inside and out,” grandmother Maryann O’Neill told the local news outlet.
Footage of the incident showed Grace seeing others crossing the tracks, but her view was blocked by a large pillar
Family and friends remembered Grace Bentkowski as a hardworking journalist with a bright future ahead of her
“She knew what she wanted to do in life and that was the news. (When asked about other schools) she said ‘no, it’s Ball State’ — that’s where I want to go. She was blessed in so many ways.”
“She was a passionate journalist and the hardest worker there is. She made such an impact at 22 years old, and I wish we could have had her here longer,” her brother Adian Bentkowski said in a statement GoFundMe.
The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, which operates the South Shore Line, says it is confident the station is safe, but will install interim warning signs.
“We are consulting with an engineering firm to determine what is needed to add active warnings to the zebra crossings,” the organizations said.
“In the meantime, we will install warning signs and, although not required by law, the South Shore Line will install a whistle that will sound as trains approach the crossings.”