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Family of Chicago journalist killed crossing Hegewisch tracks say not enough has changed 1 year later

By
Suzanne Le Mignot
Suzanne Le Mignot
Anchor/Reporter
Suzanne Le Mignot serves as CBS2 Chicago's weekend news morning anchor and weekday reporter.
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Suzanne Le Mignot

/ CBS Chicago

Exactly one year ago, a Chicago journalist was killed when she was struck by a South Shore Line train in Hegewisch. On the somber anniversary, her family walked from UChicago Medicine all the way to the South Shore Hegewisch station to show that not enough has changed in the past 12 months.

"We really need to take the time to think about what the mission is, and it's passenger and commuter safety on these rail lines," said Mike O'Neill, uncle of Grace Bentkowski.

Bentkowski was getting off a South Shore Line train at the Hegewisch stop where there were no crossing arms, no lights and no warning signs.

"Just really, really demand that something gets done so again another family after that, will have to go through what we're going through," O'Neill said.

Bentkowski was just 22 years old when she died from her injuries at UChicago Medical Center. In the time since her death, O'Neill said the only change that has been made is adding yellow signs that say "See Tracks, Think Train."

"We're saying 'See Tracks, Think Grace' right now," He said. "There's been no more lights. No more crossing gates, no more bells, no more anything."

Bentkowski's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Metra, which owns a portion of the train station. The lawsuit said passengers getting off eastbound trains at Hegewisch must cross active westbound tracks to reach the station or parking lot. Bentkowski was headed to her car when she was hit.

The president of the South Shore train line operator, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, told CBS News Chicago that a diagnostic report about the incident is expected to be completed in August.

They added, "NICTD intends to pursue all available funding sources for the safety enhancements that come out of the diagnostic report."

"Even though Grace is not with us here on this earth right now, she is in heaven and she is directing us and she's gonna win this thing, so nobody else and no other family has to go through the pain that she's seen her father, mother, brother, grandmother and aunts and uncles and all of her loved ones go through," O'Neill said. 

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