A 56-year-old Linden woman died last Friday night after being struck by a train near the Poplar Street railroad crossing in Fenton, Michigan, according to police. Officers responded to the tracks around 9:35 p.m. and began lifesaving measures, but the woman, identified as Cynthia Susanne Prince, died at the scene.
The collision, which occurred in Fenton last Friday, involved a westbound Canadian National freight train passing through the area at the time, according to official statements from the City of Fenton. As reported by CBS News Detroit, the Fenton Police Department was assisted at the scene by the Flint Township Police Department, the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, and the Fenton Fire Department. Fenton sits roughly 19 miles south of Flint.
Fenton Fire Department Deputy Chief Ed Hadfield told the Tri-County Times that emergency dispatchers received a 911 call at approximately 9:30 p.m. reporting a woman versus train collision at the crossing. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision and have asked anyone with information to contact Detective Bemus at 810-629-5311.
Roads Blocked as Crews Worked the Scene
Local authorities temporarily blocked access to roads surrounding the Poplar Street crossing while emergency responders worked to clear the area, per local reports shared on Facebook. It remains unclear from available reporting why Prince was on or near the tracks at the time of the collision, and investigators have not released information indicating whether the incident was accidental.
Unauthorized presence on a railroad right-of-way is a misdemeanor in Michigan. Under Michigan Compiled Laws Section 462.273, walking, standing, or being present on the tracks without authorization can carry a penalty of up to 30 days in jail, a fine of up to $100, or both, as detailed by Patch. That same outlet noted that Fenton has seen this kind of tragedy before: a female teenager was struck and killed on tracks west of Silver Lake Road near the US 23 overpass in July 2012, at a time when local residents said foot traffic along the tracks was common.
A Pattern Playing Out Nationwide
The Fenton collision fits into a much larger national picture of pedestrian deaths on freight rail lines. Federal Railroad Administration data compiled by the National Safety Council shows that 651 of the 959 total rail-related fatalities nationwide in 2025 — roughly 68% — were attributed to trespassing incidents on the tracks.
In Michigan specifically, state safety officials with Michigan Operation Lifesaver have reported that about half of pedestrians struck by trains in the state suffer fatal injuries, citing the difficulty people have judging a train's speed and distance, according to Great Lakes Echo. Nationally, Operation Lifesaver reports that a person or vehicle is struck by a train roughly every three hours in the United States, with trespassing and grade-crossing collisions accounting for more than 95% of all U.S. rail fatalities.
Federal Railroad Administration statistics cited by Operation Lifesaver show there were 2,273 grade-crossing collisions across the country in 2025, resulting in 286 deaths and 766 injuries. Preliminary figures through August 2026 had already recorded 845 collisions and 121 fatalities nationwide. The FRA also maintains a GIS Trespassers Casualty Map that tracks trespass-related injuries and deaths across major freight networks, including Canadian National, to help guide local law enforcement and targeted safety improvements at high-risk corridors.
No further updates on the investigation into Prince's death have been released. Anyone with information about the collision is urged to contact Fenton police.
