Pyke: Elgin Metra foreman pulls man out of train's path
The morning rush is building in Elgin when a train horn catches Robert Tellin's attention.
The Metra foreman strides to the station window. It's still dark at 5:20 a.m. Jan. 22, but he can see a man frozen in the middle of the tracks. To the north, the Milwaukee West No. 2204 bears down at 40 mph.
“Metra commuters, may we have your attention, please. The next Metra train to Chicago is now arriving,” the loudspeaker blares.
The man is hunched down. “He looked dazed,” Tellin says.
In about 10 seconds, No. 2204 will surge into the station.
“I felt the need to go out there,” says Tellin, a laid-back former engineer with the physique of a defensive lineman. “I didn't really think, it was sort of instinctual.”
He knows the danger.
Just a mile from the station is the Raymond Street crossing. In 2012, Tellin tried in vain to stop a Metra train he was driving before it struck a car on the tracks, injuring the occupants.
And the South Elgin father of four children, aged 5 to 11, can't take unnecessary risks. “I'm no good to my kids if I'm not here,” he said.
The train is just blocks away as Tellin approaches the man on the tracks. Seconds remain.
“That train's coming — you're about to get hit,” Tellin snaps.
“I know ... I want to get hit,” the man replies.
The train's brakes shriek and the engineer leans on the horn.
Tellin darts forward. His big hands seize the man by the collar, pulling him to safety.
No. 2204 flashes by.
On the platform, the two strangers stare at each other.
“You realize you almost got killed,” Tellin says.
“I know ... I want to die,” the man says.
They wait for police as Tellin keeps talking. “I know you're in a bad place right now and you think this is your way out,” he recalls saying. “But it will get better for you. We'll get you some help,”
There were no guardian angels in 2015 for 241 people nationwide and 22 in Illinois who died by suicide in rail-related cases, according to the Federal Railway Administration.
That's too many, said Kurt Topel, a member of the DuPage Railway Safety Council.
The railroad industry has gradually reduced deaths at crossings where tracks and roads intersect with better warning systems and education, Topel says, but he is frustrated that similar attention isn't paid to preventing suicides and deaths of trespassers who go onto the tracks. Their deaths comprise about 70 percent of rail-related fatalities.
“No one wants to talk about trespassing and suicide,” Topel said.
Rail carriers are not best-equipped to act as mental-health providers, said Scott Gabree, a psychologist at Volpe, The National Transportation System Center.
But when railroads partner with mental-health organizations, suicides are declining, Gabree explained. Solutions include training rail workers to recognize suicidal behavior and intervene or erecting billboards displaying depression hotlines.
Metra started an education program last fall for nearly 1,000 front-line employees to help them identify individuals who were in distress or suicidal and how to intervene. Among the trainees was Tellin.
“I don't really see myself as a hero,” Tellin said. “I knew I had a little bit of time. It was a calculated action.”
Metra officials thought otherwise, lauding Tellin last month for his heroism.
As for the man he saved, Elgin police declined to release details of the man's condition.
“I hope this was a defining moment in his life,” Tellin said, “and he gets the help he needs.”
You should know
Unlike the public, Tellin understands how fast trains can move and has been trained to intervene in a crisis. Commuters who think someone may be trying to harm themselves should call 911 or alert a Metra employee.
Help is available for people with suicidal thoughts from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at afsp.org. The hotline number is (800) 273-8255.
Warning signs can include changes in behavior, talking about being a burden to others or having no reason to live, increased use of drugs or alcohol, withdrawing from friends and family, and depression.
One more thing
Trespassing deaths on railroads totaled 511 in 2015. From low-tech efforts such as fencing to portable cameras that detect trespassing hot spots to Operation Lifesaver, a safety education program, both the Federal Railroad Administration and American Association of Railroads said they are trying to curb fatalities, but it's an uphill battle.
“The truth is few people think about the fact that it takes a train about a mile just to come to a stop,” FRA Administrator Sarah Feinberg testified to the National Transportation Safety Board. “I encourage everyone here today to start a new national conversation about trespassing and how we can change behaviors that ultimately claim lives.”
Got a comment or question? Drop me an email at mpyke@dailyherald.com.
Closure alert
Watch out for overnight closures on I-290 and the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway (Route 390) as the Illinois tollway continues work on the interchange. Starting Wednesday, expect several nights of road work that will include temporary 15-minute full closures of I-290 occurring between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. The disruptions are necessary to install bridge beams on the interchange.