Wife of man fatally struck by train suing Metra, Elmwood Park

The wife of a man fatally struck by a Metra train last year in northwest suburban Elmwood park is suing the rail agency and the village for not having enough warning controls at the crossing he was struck at.

Jack Yonan, 83, of Elmwood park, died when he was struck by a Milwaukee District/West Line train about 4:30 p.m. April 15, 2016 as he crossed the tracks at the 73rd Avenue crossing, according to Metra officials.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office ruled his death an accident.

Yonan’s wife, Fatima Yonan, filed the four-count lawsuit on Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court and seeks more than $200,000 in damages from Metra, two train operators and the village of Elmwood Park, according to court documents.

Jack Yonan walked used a cane, was “limited to an extremely slow speed in his walk” and proceed stooped over, according to the suit. He crossed at a crossing that was without a pedestrian control on the southwest sidewalk.

The suit accuses Metra and the village of negligence for lacking adequate safety signage and controls at the pedestrian crossing and for failing to slow the speed of the train as it went through a populated and high-traffic area, according to court documents.

The village of Elmwood Park did not respond to a request for comment Thursday night. A spokeswoman for Metra declined to comment.