A 22-year-old journalist for NewsNation died July 25 when she was struck by a train at Hegewisch South Shore station in Chicago, WGN 9 reported.
The accident occurred as Grace Bentkowski was crossing the tracks with other commuters, according to WGN 9. Phil Bentkowski, her father, recounted the harrowing moment to WGN 9, saying there was no warning sound before the train hit. The impact threw her 50 feet, causing severe internal injuries, he explained. Her father noted that she was not wearing headphones nor using her phone at the time the train struck her.
Grace Bentkowski recently graduated from Ball State University and was only months into her burgeoning career as a journalist when she was struck and killed by a train while commuting home to Dyer from Chicago.https://t.co/fOu3yYoe91
— FOX59 News (@FOX59) August 12, 2024
“We have the kids on a Life360 app (provides GPS location) and we saw that she got on the train. And then a delay came up on the South Shore website. The next one said train-pedestrian accident. I thought, ‘glad it’s probably not her,’” Phil told WGN 9. (RELATED: Freight Train Hits And Kills 3 People, Including Child, Police Say)
“I got a bad feeling she was the one who was hit, as soon as I saw she ended up at University of Chicago I hopped in the car and drove down there. I spoke to District 3 CPD or transit police and they asked ‘are you related to Grace Bentkowski?’”
He was instructed to go to the emergency room, where he was informed she was still alive. Around the same time, Grace’s mother and brother arrived at the hospital. After enduring hours of anxious waiting during her surgery, the family received the devastating news their daughter had not survived, WGN 9 stated.
Signal gantry over railway tracks on an overcast day, with trees exhibiting autumn colors, Martinez, California, December 2, 2023. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
“My initial thought was ‘that’s not possible,’” her father said, WGN 9 reported. “Was under the assumption that if you were hit by a train leaving the station, obviously it wouldn’t be that fast and worst case was maybe a broken leg. It’s the worst nightmare ever.”
Grace was returning from work and planned to go shopping before heading home to Dyer, Indiana. Before her death, Grace interned for NewsNation and covered local elections in Indiana. Following the accident, the South Shore train line announced plans to install interim warning signs and consult an engineering firm to enhance pedestrian crossing alerts, the New York Post reported.
In response to the tragedy, her brother, Adian, created a GoFundMe page to support the family with funeral expenses, raising over $27,000. The fundraising page describes Bentkowski as a dedicated journalist whose life and career were cut tragically short.
