An adult man died Friday morning after being struck by a Metra train near Waukegan Road and Old Mill Road in Lake Forest, marking the second serious rail incident at that same crossing in just two weeks. Emergency crews found the man unresponsive after the Lake Forest Fire Department and Lake Forest Police Department responded to the scene, and he was pronounced dead there.
The victim has not been positively identified, according to Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton, who told the Lake and McHenry County Scanner that the man was struck by the train near the crossing. His age remains unknown, and the Lake County Coroner's Office said it will likely rely on scientific methods to confirm his identity. An autopsy was scheduled for Friday morning, per Newton.
Metra train #2157, operating on the Milwaukee District North Line, was involved in the strike, according to Metra spokesperson Martha Hill, cited in the same report. The train was terminated at the scene, and approximately 25 people aboard were not injured, per police radio traffic relayed by the outlet. Those passengers were later accommodated on Metra train #2159 as officials worked to clear the area.
Investigation Halts Rail Traffic for Hours
The Lake County Coroner's Office was notified and responded to the scene, taking possession of the victim as the Metra Police Department also responded to conduct an investigation. All trains were halted in both directions during the probe — standard emergency protocol on Metra lines, which typically requires local police, Metra police, fire crews, and the coroner's office to complete an on-scene investigation, a process that usually takes two to three hours. Metra train #2157 was ultimately released around 3 a.m. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.
Same Crossing Saw Crash Two Weeks Earlier
The Friday morning death occurred at the very same crossing where a Kansas City Southern freight train traveling from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Bensenville, Illinois, collided with a man's vehicle on August 21. That crash left the man, in his 50s, with critical injuries and heavy vehicle damage; no other people were hurt. He was transported to a hospital, and as Hoodline previously reported, critically injured patients from severe Lake Forest crashes are routinely taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Lake County's only designated Level 1 Trauma Center.
Lake Forest Police Chief John Burke said following the August 21 collision that the incident appeared to be intentional, according to a statement from the City of Lake Forest, and he urged residents experiencing mental health crises to use local resources, including the Lake County Crisis Care Program and the 988 lifeline. Whether Friday's fatal strike shares any connection to that earlier crash has not been established, and the Scanner's report does not indicate intent in the September 4 death.
A Crossing With a Deadly History
The Waukegan Road and Old Mill Road crossing has claimed lives before. In November 2013, a 35-year-old Northwestern Medicine surgeon was killed at the same crossing when his sedan drove around lowered gates and was struck by a southbound Milwaukee District North train, according to The Daily Northwestern.
Metra owns the physical infrastructure of the 49.7-mile Milwaukee District North Line, which runs across 22 stations between Chicago Union Station and Fox Lake, while Canadian Pacific Kansas City holds trackage and dispatching rights along the corridor, per background compiled from Wikipedia. Friday's death also represents at least the third fatal pedestrian strike along that line in 2026, following earlier fatal strikes near Edgebrook station on March 2 and near Forest Glen station on August 14, both previously covered by Hoodline's third fatal strike report.
Illinois Ranks Among Worst States for Rail Deaths
The pattern reflects a broader statewide problem. Preliminary 2025 Federal Railroad Administration data compiled by Operation Lifesaver ranked Illinois third nationally in rail trespassing fatalities, recording 44 deaths and 24 injuries along railroad rights-of-way. The state also recorded 134 highway-rail grade crossing collisions in 2025, ranking fourth in the nation with 25 deaths and 43 injuries at public crossings statewide.
Illinois maintains the nation's second-largest rail system, with more than 7,300 miles of track and 10,264 public grade crossings, according to the Illinois Commerce Commission. State safety regulations mandate that trains maintain right-of-way over road traffic and pedestrians at all times. Operation Lifesaver data also notes that a freight train traveling at 55 mph needs roughly 18 football fields — about a mile — to come to a complete stop once emergency brakes are applied, underscoring why engineers have little ability to avoid obstacles on the tracks.
