A Glencoe woman was killed Saturday morning when she was struck by a southbound Metra train, authorities said.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Daniella V. Weisman, 48, of Glencoe.
The incident occurred at the Maple Hill Road railroad crossing at about 9:35 a.m. when Weisman crossed the tracks going westbound and was hit by the southbound train, officials said.
“Our investigation indicates at this point that this was an accident,” Metra spokeswoman Meg Reile said. “As soon as they saw her near the tracks, the engineer started blowing the horn. She did not acknowledge the train and continued into the crossing.”
Reile added officers on the scene confirmed she was wearing headphones at the time of the incident and the gates and lights were functioning.
Reile was not sure how fast the train was going at the time of the incident but she said trains are approved to travel as fast as 70 miles per hour in that area.
Video of the incident indicated Weisman was out with her dogs, Reile said. One dog was also found dead at the scene, but another dog was not hurt.
Service on the Union Pacific North Line was shut down for about two hours after the incident, Reile said.
Glencoe Village Manager Phil Kiraly said he was not aware of any other safety-related incidents at that location, but did not rule out making modifications to increase safety if deemed necessary.
“Safety is always our primary concern,” Kiraly said. “If the investigation concludes that safety enhancements might be beneficial, we would work closely with the Union Pacific Railroad and Metra.”
In a 2017 interview with Pioneer Press, Weisman said she was originally from Brazil. She was a stay-at-home mother at that point, but planned to eventually return to her profession as a fashion industry buyer.
She detailed how she met her husband in Brazil through friends and relatives when he was on vacation. After conducting a long-distance relationship, the two eventually married and they settled in Glencoe and had children.
