BERWYN, Ill. -- A freight train fatally struck a woman Sunday evening in west suburban Berwyn.Linda Barkley, 57, of West Stanley Street in Berwyn, was struck near Oak Park and Stanley avenues, according to the Berwyn Fire Department. She was pronounced dead at MacNeal Hospital at 4:44 p.m. Sunday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.Berwyn police Chief William Kushner said it is a "controlled crossing" with gates and lights, which were working at the time of the incident. He also said there were several witnesses to the incident, including the train crew.
"The train crew said she was inside the gates when they went down, and then just walked across the tracks with her head down, never looking up or acknowledging the train, even when the whistle was blown."Other witnesses reported seeing the same thing, Kushner said.An autopsy was scheduled for Monday, and Kushner said police are still considering it a death investigation and not a suicide until a ruling from the medical examiner's office.The Union Pacific train which struck Barkley was operating on Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks at the time of the incident, which caused some Metra trains to be delayed for up to an hour.
