(The Pioneer Press posted the following article by Cathryn Gran on its website on March 3.)
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — It was as if one of their own had been hit by the commuter train.
Many parents and officials of River Grove School said they were numbed by the news a 10-year-boy had been struck and killed Feb. 23 by a commuter train at the station not far from the school building at Grand and Thatcher avenues.
According to reports, Michael DeLarco, of Schaumburg, was exiting an eastbound Milwaukee District West Line train from Schaumburg when he was struck by a westbound express train. Michael had been on the train with his mother and his 8-year-old sister. Waiting across the tracks was his father.
As of Monday, Metra officials said the investigation remained in the early stages.
Metra is the commuter train division of the Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees public transportation in the Chicago metropolitan area.
Chief Dennis Raucci, of the River Grove Police Department, said evidence technicians assisted a Metra accident reconstruction team to evaluate the accident site.
Noting the accident happened toward the end of rush hour just after 6 p.m., Raucci said the teams had to deal with a lot of distractions.
“Luckily, we didn’t have any secondary accidents,” he said.
Traffic on Thatcher was backed up but for the most part still moving, according to Raucci.
Commuter train traffic on the tracks was slowed for about two hours due to the accident, and commuters were shuttled by bus between the Elmwood Park and Franklin Park stations. Investigators still were on the scene four hours later.
The accident hit home at River Grove School, just south of the train station. A relative of the victim works at the school and two cousins attend classes there, according to a district official.
Superintendent Theresa Sak said the district made available social services to any students who expressed a need.
“We also made parents aware that if they felt students needed those services on this issue, they could contact us,” said Sak. “Teachers were alerted on Tuesday morning (Feb. 24) about the tragedy and asked to let our social worker know if students needed to see her.”
Sak said the district sent out letters to parents.
“We are also having Metra do a program on March 25 to all grades on train safety.” she said. “We had done this program previously and had planned to do it every other year.”
John Bentley, of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, said for an engineer, being involved in a fatal accident is a “most horrific experience.”
Some engineers prefer to speak with colleagues, while others seek counseling, he said.
“They suffer greatly,” Bentley said. “They have recurring nightmares. The trauma and stress are similar to what veterans of war display.
“For some engineers, it becomes so difficult, they quit their … jobs or they retire.”