A 33-year-old Ferndale woman died yesterday after she was hit by a commuter train near one of the city’s most complained-about railroad crossings.
Scene and response
Ferndale police say officers were called around 1:40 p.m. to the tracks at East 9 Mile Road and Hilton Road, where they found the woman lying unresponsive on the rail line. First responders began emergency aid at the scene, and Ferndale paramedics rushed her to a Metro Detroit hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Early findings from investigators indicate that the crossing’s warning lights and gates were working properly at the time of the incident, according to ClickOnDetroit.
Why this crossing matters
The railroad crossing at Nine Mile and Hilton has long been a sore spot for Ferndale residents, drivers, and first responders. Trains are known to sit across the roadway for extended periods, backing up traffic and, more troublingly, slowing down ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars that need to get through.
Those chronic delays have helped fuel state-level talk of a dedicated funding stream to separate roadways from rail lines at problem spots like this one, as reported by CBS Detroit.
Investigation ongoing
Ferndale police say the case remains under active investigation as they work to piece together exactly what led up to the collision. No additional details, including the woman’s identity or the circumstances surrounding the incident, had been released as of Wednesday, according to ClickOnDetroit.
