GALESBURG, Ill. — A 15-year-old Galesburg girl has died after being struck by a train Wednesday evening.
The girl, Katie J. Ackerson, was found dead in a nearby drainage ditch around 6:37 p.m.
The incident happened at the railroad crossing in the 400 block of N. Whitesboro St.
The preliminary investigation showed Ackerson walked around the lowered railroad gates after a train had passed.
A second train then hit Ackerson as she walked onto the second set of tracks.
“We are all saddened by this horrific tragedy,” said Chief Russell Idle. “There are no words that can express the sympathy of this community to the parents and family of this young person who was taken from us way too soon.”
The scene was handed over to the Knox County Coroner’s Office, who notified Ackerson’s immediate family.
