DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – The numbers are staggering. So far in 2025, there have been more than 100 fatalities in Illinois related to trains.
“We are at 104 fatalities. And that’s with 60 trespass incidents and 135 collisions. All of these incidents are preventable,” according to Aisha Jackson, an ICC Rail Safety Specialist.
In Central Illinois, there have been 11 trespasses and 10 collisions resulting in 15 fatalities, Jackson told WAND News.
Across Illinois, there are 10,000 public crossings and 7,000 miles of track.
Pedestrians and motorists are often killed when they attempt to beat trains across tracks. Other times, pedestrians are killed if they are wearing headphones and do not hear a train's horn.
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