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Lake Zurich police say beer cans found near where teenager hit by freight train

Beer cans were found near a 15-year-old boy who was hit and injured by a freight train in Lake Zurich, according to police.

Investigators are trying to determine how the cans wound up where the boy was found about 5:35 a.m. Monday, police Cmdr. David Bradstreet said.

Police said the Lake Zurich boy didn't have any identification when he was found after being struck by the Canadian National Railway train near the Rand Road overpass. Bradstreet said Wednesday the teenager remained in the intensive care unit at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.

Investigators know the names of some friends who were with him before he was injured and plan to interview them, Bradstreet said. Police have some leads on the boy's whereabouts before the accident, he added.

“There were some beer cans found at the scene, for sure,” Bradstreet said.

Lake Zurich police attempted to identify the boy for more than a day. They initially believed the victim was a man in his early to mid-20s.

As authorities were trying to determine the victim's identity Tuesday morning, the teen's parents reported him missing from their Lake Zurich home. Police said a picture of the seriously injured person shown to the parents led to the positive identification.

A blue backpack with items typically used by artists also was found where the teen was injured, police said. Bradstreet said the items included colored pencils and protractors.

Lake Zurich detectives and Canadian National police have been working the case. Railroad personnel on the train reported the accident to village police.

Lake Zurich cops identify boy hit by freight train

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