Mattoon Train Incident Victim Publicly Identified

Mattoon police have released the identity of the woman killed Saturday when struck by a train.

The woman killed was 33-year-old Samantha A. Grider of Mattoon.  Mattoon Deputy Chief of Police Jason Taylor said Grider was a pedestrian who attempted to climb between two rail cars that were blocking a sidewalk adjacent to the train tracks on South 21st Street.  Grider apparently fell down between the rail cars and the train then backed up.

Grider was taken to Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center where she was later pronounced dead. Taylor said Grider was alone at the time of the incident and no foul play is suspected in her death.

The incident occurred at 4:21pm Saturday.