Suicidal woman who throws herself in front of train temporarily causes Aurora road closure

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Early this morning, a closure impacted one of Aurora's major intersections: Chambers Road at Smith Road. Traffic is moving there again -- but why the earlier shutdown? According to Aurora Police Department spokesman Bob Friel, a woman tried to commit suicide by jumping in front of a slow-moving light-rail train.

Here's the note that Friel sent to media organizations at 4:26 a.m.:

This morning, shortly after 2:36 a.m., a 27-year-old woman attempted to take her own life by stepping in the path of a slow moving train near Smith Road and Chambers Road in Aurora.

Investigating Officers spoke to the woman who confirmed that she was on the tracks in an attempt to commit suicide.

The woman was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries for treatment and mental evaluation.

Chambers Road at Smith Road is expected to be closed in both directions for some time. It is not clear when the roadway will re-open.

The company that operates the train advised Police that efforts are underway to replace the crew in the train at the time of this incident with a new crew.

At 6:56 a.m., Friel responded to an e-mail requesting an update with the following: "Train has been moved and the closure has ended."

But the trauma may well continue -- hence the replacement of the crew. For more on the impact on engineers and the like when people are hurt or killed in train accidents, see our 1999 feature article "Wrong Side of the Tracks."

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