ECORSE, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 32-year-old mother and her two children, ages 10 and 4, are in the hospital after being struck by a train while crossing railroad tracks directly behind Ecorse High School.
Police say the family was trying to cross the tracks while a train was stopped. That stopped train blocked their view of a second train coming through, which struck them.
School leaders say students have also used the area as a shortcut.
7 News Detroit reporter Carli Petrus has the story in the video below:
Police say the investigation is still in the early stages. There is no indication that alcohol or drugs were involved. They also confirmed that everything was operational at the time of the incident, including gate arms and flashing lights.
Video captured a man climbing over the tracks and a stopped train to get to the other side on Monday.
Ecorse Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Josha Talison said he got a call about the crash Sunday night and was immediately concerned it could involve one of his students.
"Yeah, the train sits there sometimes but we always instruct our students to go around. Don't risk anything because I was not aware that if something is sitting another train can come," Talison said. "First of all, I was alarmed because the captain of the police department let me know that it was a parent and two children and when they mentioned the names I just wanted to see if it was one of our students."
Talison said he recognized the name of the older child.
"The student went to our school last year and they are currently not enrolled in our district but they are from the community so any time anybody has any incident in the community, our school activates because we are the hub so we have provided some counseling for our fifth graders because some of those students knew the young lady involved," Talison said.
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Mother, 2 kids injured after being struck by moving train near Ecorse High: PD
Sam Crowl, Operation Lifesaver state coordinator and former locomotive engineer, is working to prevent crashes like this one.
"We certainly hate to hear about these incidents," Crowl said.
Crowl said he has seen firsthand the worst of what can happen around train tracks.
"My job as an engineer I had hit and killed two families," Crowl said.
Crowl said the stopped train in the area is especially concerning — something several people who live nearby told me happens often.
"I would like to see something done however that's not up to me. My job is education and encouraging state elected officials to perhaps build an overpass or underpass so these things don't happen," Crowl said.
7 News Detroit reached out to CN Rail, which operates in the area. A spokesperson said all questions about this incident should be directed to the Ecorse Police Department.
The mother and her children remain in the hospital as police continue to investigate.
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