McHenry woman struck, killed by train in Harvard

An 86-year-old McHenry woman was struck and killed by a Metra train in Harvard Sunday night after becoming lost and driving her vehicle onto the tracks, according to police.

Authorities said Gloria Clara Jacobs drove onto the railroad tracks at the Brink Street crossing in Harvard and continued to drive down the tracks until her vehicle got stuck.

She got out of the vehicle and continued to walk on the tracks, then was struck by a northwest bound Metra train headed for Harvard with about 120 passengers onboard, according to the McHenry County sheriff’s office.

Authorities said Jacobs was lost, and she was unfamiliar with roads in the area.

Emergency crews responded at 8:27 p.m. to the railroad track between Brink Street and Schultz Road, in an unincorporated area near Harvard.

The Union Pacific Northwest Line train struck Jacobs and her vehicle about a half-mile west of Schultz Road.

Police said it took several hours to remove the vehicle from the tracks, obtain a replacement train engineer and repair an air hose on the engine.

The McHenry County sheriff’s department and the McHenry County coroner’s office continue to investigate.