Grace Bentkowski, a TV journalist working for NewsNation, has died. She was 22 years old.
In a freak accident, Bentkowski was struck by a train in Chicago, Illinois. The news of her passing was first reported by WGN 9.
NewsNation Journalist Grace Bentkowski Dies at 22 in Train Accident
Per WGN 9, Grace Bentkowski was crossing ground-level tracks with a group of others at the Hegewisch South Shore station on July 25. Suddenly, a train leaving the platform plowed into her. She would die from her injuries at the hospital a few hours later.
Her father, Phil Bentkowski, released a statement on his daughter’s passing to the outlet.
“It’s the worst nightmare ever,” he stated. “There was no noise. No nothing. From the video. All you hear is a thud. Then the engineer blows a horn.”
Phil Bentkowski also stated that he was surprised that his daughter died from her injuries.
“My initial thought was, ‘That’s not possible.’ I was under the assumption that if you were hit by a train leaving the station, obviously it wouldn’t be that fast. And the worst case was maybe a broken leg,” he stated.
The impact threw her 50 feet, leading to her fatal injuries.
“Her phone wasn’t damaged. She wasn’t on it. And she had her AirPods in her purse,” he said. “The only thing in her hand was her car keys.”
This is a developing story.