Woman killed, 2 sons seriously hurt in train accident

A woman was killed and her two young sons seriously hurt after she drove her van around crossing gates and was hit by a Metra Rock Island train on the South Side this morning. The van was hit by the train at 115th Street and Marshfield Avenue around 8:15 a.m.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, and the boys who appeared to be about 5 or 6, were taken in serious-to-critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn
Metra spokeswoman Meg Reile said the train's engineer and other witnesses also said the van drove around the gates. She said the train was likely moving at about its highest speed, 79 mph, and there was no way that it could have stopped before hitting the car.