Grace Bentkowski, 'Rising Star' At NewsNation, Dies In Train Accident At 22

Grace Bentkowski, a creative producer with the cable news outlet NewsNation , died at the age of 22 last month after an accident at a Chicago train station, it was reported this week.

In a statement provided to HuffPost, NewsNations vice president of creative marketing and brand standards, Jonathan Killian, remembered Bentkowski as a rising star at the network.

She started as an intern and quickly became an invaluable member, joining the company as a full-time employee this summer, Killian wrote.

Her passion for journalism and eagerness to learn the ropes was infectious and her willingness to jump in and learn the TV news business was inspiring to her colleagues, he added.

Grace was one of those rare people who brought light into any room in which she entered, the statement said. We are heartbroken for her loved ones and family, and she will never be far from our hearts here at NewsNation.

Bentkowski graduated from Indianas Ball State University in May and was hired as an associate creative producer with NewsNation, where shed previously worked as an intern covering Indianas local elections.

The journalist was commuting home to Dyer, Indiana, on July 25 when she was struck by a train while crossing ground-level tracks at Chicagos Hegewisch South Shore station.

She was taken to the nearby University of Chicago Medical Center with internal injuries. She underwent emergency surgery and was pronounced dead hours later.

Her father, Phil Bentkowski, told local news outlet WGN  there is not adequate signage or other safety measures at the station, where commuters must walk directly over the tracks to reach the parking lot.

According to accounts from her family, her view was obstructed by a large concrete pillar as she followed other commuters across the tracks.

Its such a safety issue. This is 2024. I dont know why there are no stop, look, listen safety signs. It doesnt make sense, Phil Bentkowski said. She was thrown 50 feet.

Grace Bentkowskis death is under investigation by railway operator Metra and the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, according to WGN.

Metra is in touch with NICTD to review the circumstances of this tragic incident, the rail agency said in a statement, per WGN. We extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of this young woman.

In a statement to HuffPost, the NICTD extended its condolences to Bentkowskis family and friends and said it firmly believes the Hegewisch station, as designed in 2006, is safe. However, it said it is installing warning signage and reaching out to an engineering firm to determine what it will take to add active warning to the pedestrian crossings.

Bentkowskis family has set up a GoFundMe page  for costs related to her death. As of Thursday evening, it had raised around $29,000.