CHICAGO — A local journalist and recent Ball State graduate was just weeks away from moving to downtown Chicago to pursue her dreams before being killed in July by a South Shore Line train.
On July 25, 22-year-old Grace Bentkowski told her family she would be home later than usual from her job at NewsNation in Chicago to go shopping.
After finishing up, Bentkowski went to the Millennium Station to take the train home to the Hegewisch Station — as she did dozens of times for work and her summer internship in 2023. This time, she was hit by a train as she crossed the tracks.
The Bentkowskis use an app called "Life360" that allows them to track each other's location, speed and much more. Her father, Phil, said he saw Grace arrive at the station, and her location started traveling back up to the University of Chicago. That's when he knew something was wrong.
Phil drove up to the University of Chicago where he was met by officials who told him to go to an emergency room and that his daughter was alive. By the time Grace's mother, Erin, and brother, Adian, made it to the hospital, Grace was in surgery. But her injuries were too severe.
"The doctor told us to sit down," Adian said. "Another doctor approached and got on one knee and said 'I'm so sorry.' At that point, I didn't know what to do. My mom and dad burst into tears and screaming while I sat there, stone-faced, thinking, 'This isn't real. How is this even possible?'"
Concerns about South Shore stations
After the incident, her father viewed security footage of the incident and said Grace had no phone in her hand, no earbuds in her ears, just her car keys. He told 13News that Grace got off the train, walked west and followed others in front of her who had just crossed the tracks. Grace did not see the oncoming train because her view was blocked by a concrete pillar.
All patrons at the Hegewisch and Hammond South Shore Line stations must cross the tracks to get from the trains to the parking lots. Grace's family points out there are no stop arms, lights or sirens when a train is crossing.
"Grace died due to lack of safety at the South Shore Hegewisch station," Adian said. "This could have happened to anyone at anytime. One person is enough."
Since Grace's death, her family and friends are fighting for more precautions, like stop arms and lights at train stations, to prevent an incident like this from taking away loved ones from their friends and family. Her boyfriend, Ian Hansen, is helping lead that push.
"Why not add more safety provisions? The more safety, the better. Grace was extremely selfless, and we need to be the same in not letting this happen to anyone else again. We are trying to honor her in the way she would honor us, like, 'what would Grace do?'" Hansen said.
A Facebook group titled "Danger on the South Shore Line - Stories to find answers for Grace" was recently created and is being used to share stories of the dangers of South Shore Line train stations. The group already has more than 200 members who are sharing their own stories and collaborating on ideas for safer stations.
"If we had to lose her, let's make her loss worth something besides the retching pain," Rejeannia Smith posted in the group. "Perhaps a safe path for everyone named for her. THE GRACE PATH. That has a good ring to it maybe."
'See Tracks, Think Train'
The South Shore Line recently completed the installment of its double track with a new schedule that patrons say includes times where trains are passing through opposite sides at the same time, with "no warnings at Hammond and Hegewisch stations."
In the wake of Grace's death, the South Shore Line released a statement, saying the line was reaching out to an engineering firm to discuss active warnings at pedestrian crossings.
"In the interim," the statement said, "we are installing warning signage, and, although not required by law, the South Shore Line will institute a train whistle board to sound as trains approach the crossings."
The South Shore Line is also urging patrons to keep four words in mind: "See Tracks, Think Train.”
For Grace's family, the change is coming too late.
"It shouldn't have taken my beautiful sister's death for them to realize there needs to be a change," Adian said. "No parent should ever have to live through this. There needs to be a change at the Hegewisch and Hammond stations, along with any other road grade crossings across the world."
Read the South Shore Line's full statement below:
“At the South Shore Line, safety is our #1 priority in everything we do.
Our deepest condolences have been and continue to be with the family and friends of our rider who lost her life at the Hegewisch Station.
We firmly believe that the station, as designed in 2006, is safe. We would never operate the railroad with a condition that we believed to be unsafe. We are constantly making enhancements to our operations with safety in mind. In Michigan City, we just eliminated street running operations and eliminated 20 at grade roadway-railroad crossings that had existed for decades. The remaining 13 roadway crossings have all been upgraded to having gates, lights, and bells. We also continue to invest in safety enhancements at other crossings along the line.
Since the Hegewisch station was opened in 2008, there have been in excess of 10 million riders departing or arriving at the station without an accident at the platforms and pedestrian crossings. One accident is, however, too many!
After any accident, we look to see if safety can be further enhanced, and this situation is no different. We are reaching out to an engineering firm to determine what it will take to add active warning to the pedestrian crossings. In the interim, we are installing warning signage, and, although not required by law, the South Shore Line will institute a train whistle board to sound as trains approach the crossings.
One message we need to emphasize. Crossing railroad tracks with or without active warning, whether at a train station or a roadway always requires awareness, and that is why we strongly support and encourage everyone to adhere to the simple message of “See Tracks, Think Train.” The South Shore Line operates 53 weekday trains on a regular basis through the Hegewisch Station not including special or extra trains that may be run. In addition, we have a freight railroad that operates on that line with unscheduled service 7 days per week. Our riders and members of the public should always assume a train running on any track, at any direction, at any time.”
