Young boy hit by Metra train in Barrington
By Linda Blaser lblaser@pioneerlocal.com March 15, 2013 10:30PM
Updated: May 17, 2013 2:15AM
Officials say the 11-year-old boy struck by a Metra train in Barrington on Friday night is lucky to be alive.
“Few people survive a train accident. He is extremely fortunate and the family is grateful for the outpouring of support since last night,” said Jeff Arnett, chief communications officer for Barrington 220 School District.
The Barrington boy is out of critical condition “but faces a long recovery,” Arnett said Saturday.
The accident occurred when the Hough Street Elementary School fifth-grader crossed the tracks on Hough Street (Route 59), just north of Lake-Cook Road in downtown Barrington at 6:05 p.m. He was struck by a Union Pacific Northwest train en route to Chicago, Metra spokesman Tom Miller said.
“He was evidently on his way to or from the Celtic Festival at Cook Street Plaza,” Arnett said. “The police indicate he waited for one train to pass, but his view of another oncoming train from the opposite direction was obscured. He started across the tracks after the first train passed when he was struck by the second train on the opposite track.”
Arnett is unsure if the boy was alone at the time, but several witnesses saw the accident unfold and rushed to his side to provide first aid until paramedics arrived, Arnett said. The boy was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where he remains.
Anna Shilov said her husband grabbed towels from Salon Shea — the salon across from Barrington Train Station where he works — and tended to the boy after a passerby ran into the business and sought his help.
The boy lost a foot in the accident, according to Shilov.
