Another passenger, Paul Antonou, explained why he’s done it.
“People are in a hurry, you know,” he said.
Martin described it as a news story waiting to happen.
On Saturday, it did happen. An on-board camera captured it.
Even after the engineer laid on the horn, not one, not two, not three, but four people hustled across the tracks, right in front of an express train, and those typically go about 70 miles an hour.
We asked an engineer about people who risk it. Tom Barry said, “You’re not always gonna win.”
Sadly, the fourth person in that group, a North Chicago woman, proved him right. The train hit her and the 1-year-old godchild who was in her arms. Both died.
It’s the type of thing Barry watches for, but can do little about if he’s going fast. A controlled stop from 55 to 0 took him about 45 seconds. And then there’s the distance it takes to stop.
“It could take half a mile to three-quarters of a mile depending on the speed,” said Barry, “God forbid anybody gets hit, but it does happen.”
And it doesn’t have to. All you have to do is heed the warning.
A Metra spokeswoman says the ground signals, lights and bells, were working at the time of Saturday’s accident. So there was that warning and the train horn.
She also says there are hundreds of near misses every day. Most happen during the morning rush.
Read the original article from WBBM News Radio.