The life of a young journalist who'd just launched a promising career in Chicago, Illinois, was tragically cut short in an unanticipated accident last month.

Grace Bentkowski, 22, who worked for NewsNation, was struck and killed by a train on July 25 while crossing a set of tracks at a station during her daily commute home from work, the Daily Caller reported.

Her death has prompted questions about the safety of the train station from her grieving family and others that have already resulted in efforts to prevent similar accidents from occurring.

Struck by a train in a pedestrian crossing

WGN reported that Bentkowski, a creative producer for NewsNation, had left her downtown office early and was about to do some shopping while headed to her home in the Chicago-area suburb of Dyer, Indiana when she was struck by a train as she crossed the tracks with other commuters to reach a parking lot.

Her father, Phil Bentkowski, who tracked his daughter's movements with a GPS app on his phone and also received notifications about the train accident, rushed to be with her when he realized she was the victim and had been transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center for an emergency surgery that she did not survive.

"My initial thought was 'that’s not possible,'" Bentkowski said of learning of his daughter's death. "Was under the assumption that if you were hit by a train leaving the station, obviously it wouldn’t be that fast, and worst case was maybe a broken leg. It’s the worst nightmare ever."

"No noise, no nothing. From the video all you hear is a thud. Then the engineer blows a horn," he recalled of surveillance footage he watched of the incident. "It’s such a safety issue, this is 2024. I don’t understand why there isn’t 'stop, look, listen' safety signs -- it makes no sense. She was thrown 50 feet."

The father noted that his daughter wasn't on her phone or listening to music through headphones when the accident happened, and the outlet observed that there are no safety arms or warning signs at the pedestrian crossing across the tracks, the view of which is partially obstructed by a large concrete pillar.

Family grieves untimely loss

The New York Post reported that Bentkowski, who had just graduated from Ball State University earlier this year and started her job over the summer at NewsNation, where she'd been an intern the year before, had long wanted to pursue a career in journalism.

Her grandmother, Maryann O'Neill, told WGN of her granddaughter, "She was beautiful inside and out. She knew what she wanted to do in life and it was the news."

Her brother, Adian, launched a GoFundMe account -- which has already raised more than $28,000 to help the family cover the costs of cremation and medical services -- lamented the untimely loss of his "best friend" and the "precious baby girl" of their parents, and wrote, "Grace touched many people's lives at the young age of 22. She was a striving journalist and the hardest worker there is. She managed to make such a big impact at 22 years old, and I wish we could've had her here longer."

Train station announces impending changes to pedestrian crossing

"Grace Bentkowski was a rising star at NewsNation," the network said in a statement, per the Post. "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."

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

The Post noted that authorities are investigating the incident and the train station announced plans to add warning signs and potentially even an "active" alert, such as a horn or whistle, near the pedestrian crossing.