Woman, niece killed in North Chicago Metra crash

A 34-year-old woman and her 1-year-old niece were killed after stepping in front of a Metra train at a North Chicago station Saturday morning.

Blanca Villanueza-Sanchez of North Chicago was killed instantly and the baby girl, Maria Cruz of North Chicago, was pronounced dead later Saturday morning at Vista Medical Center-East in Waukegan, according to authorities.

Villanueza-Sanchez was carrying her goddaughter and following someone at 8:50 a.m. when they crossed the tracks and were struck by a southbound train at 1633 Lakeside Avenue, according to Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet and Lake County Coroner Richard Keller.

The woman and her niece lived a block from each other in North Chicago, about four blocks from the train station.

The Metra train was not scheduled to stop at the station and no other train was scheduled to stop there around that time, Pardonnet said.