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Last updated on Tuesday, August 7, 2018
(PORTAGE) - One toddler is dead and another toddler is critically injured after they were hit by a train in Portage, The Times of Northwest Indiana reports.
Authorities say the siblings, a brother and sister, were walking along the railroad tracks near a mobile home park just off U.S. 20 when they were hit.
CSX train personnel told investigators they saw the children and honked the horn, but they couldn't stop in time, according to The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Caleb Wilson, 3, and Ellie Wilson, 2, were struck by an eastbound freight train at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Caleb was pronounced dead at the scene and Ellie was airlifted to University of Chicago Medicine Comer's Children's Hospital in Chicago in critical condition.
They are the children of Kelsey Benson and Jacob Wilson.
Police are continuing to investigate, but Police Chief Troy Williams said family members believed the two sneaked out of the home unbeknownst to the adults. The adults were actively searching for them when the collision happened.
Chief Williams says the train's conductor saw the children walking on the tracks, blew the horn and attempted to stop, but couldn't stop the freight train in time.
Information The Times of Northwest Indiana, https://www.nwitimes.com
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