After the recent tragedy at the Cary Metra station, the Northwest Herald published an article re: train safety.
But here are some revelations: Since the incident in Cary, a co-worker has witnessed other acts of unsafe behavior in front of law enforcement without reprimand. Another acquaintance mentioned that she has seen the engineer of a train wave across a train rider who was stopped at the lowered warning gate on the opposite side where the train was stopped at the crossing.
I personally witnessed a father and two sons walking in front of me, wait for the train to leave the Crystal Lake station but crossed the tracks BEFORE THE GATE LIFTED AND THE WARNING LIGHTS STOPPED. This was in full view of a police car that was also stopped at the gate. Everyone went on their merry way. I was aghast. It was a perfect moment for a warning to this young family.
Train officials and law enforcement can speak all they want about safety rules and laws. But if these life and death safety laws continue to not be enforced, then there will always be violators and tragedy. We seem to hear of these incidents occasionally. But many are not widely reported. It happens more than we know.
Pamela Winters
Crystal Lake
