Community Corner

Update: Mother of Naval Recruit Fatally Struck by Train in Highwood Speaks

Chase Church was the "best 23-year-old you'd ever meet."

Update 2/10:

TribLocal spoke with the mother of the Naval Station Great Lakes recruit who was fatally struck by a Metra train Tuesday night in Highwood.

“He was the best 23-year-old you’d ever meet,” Patti Church said about her son, Chase.

Find out what's happening in Highland Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Church grew up in Laguna Niguel, a suburb of Los Angeles. A star soccer player in high school, Church was on his way to becoming a Navy medic. He had been training at the station’s Naval Hospital Corps School,  according to Naval Station Great Lakes spokesman John Sheppard.

“He is a California boy,” Patti Church said. “He doesn’t know anything about trains. We drive cars here.”

Find out what's happening in Highland Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Read more here.

Update 12:25 p.m.:

TribLocal has more details on the man fatally struck by a Metra train Tuesday night.

Chase Church was a 23-year-old recruit at Naval Station Great Lakes. He was originally from southern California.

According to Lake County Coroner Dr. Richard Keller, Church was trying to cross the tracks with a group of recruits before the train passed by and he was hit. TribLocal reports that Church "died instantly of multiple traumas."

Earlier:

Pioneer Press reports that Union Pacific North Line train No. 343 from Chicago to Kenosha, Wis. struck and killed a pedestrian Tuesday evening.

The incident occurred north of the Highwood station at around 6:15 p.m. The pedestrian, a man in his 20s, was dead on the scene according to Lake County Coroner Dr. Richard Keller. Read the whole article here.

Since 2007, 12 people have died in railroad accidents throughout the northern suburbs. Throughout the state, there are nearly 8,000 crossings where tracks meet the roadway.

Read more about past Metra accidents .


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here