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GREENWICH, Conn. — A 28-year-old Connecticut woman who was struck and killed by an express Metro-North train on Friday morning at the Cos Cob station had jumped onto the tracks to retrieve either her wallet or handbag, according to a Metro-North spokeswoman.
"She had apparently dropped a personal item, a wallet or a handbag, and went onto the track to retrieve it," said spokeswoman Meredith Daniels. She said it wasn't known whether the woman had retrieved the item and was trying to return to the platform or whether she was still on the tracks when she was struck at about the middle of the platform at Cos Cob.
The woman, who was not identified by police or Metro-North officials, was hit at about 9:30 a.m. Friday, Daniels said. The train — the express 8:29 a.m. train out of Grand Central Terminal headed for New Haven — was not due to stop at the Cos Cob station, she said.
Its speed was 45 mph, and the engineer sounded a horn after noticing the woman on the tracks, Daniels said.
The woman's next of kin was being notified by MTA Police, Daniels said. Metro-North did not disclose where the woman lived.
After the accident, the passengers on the New Haven-bound train were transferred to another train and were on their way shortly after 10 a.m., Daniels said.
MTA and Greenwich police were at the scene and investigating the fatal accident throughout Friday.
For a few hours after the accident, Metro-North's New Haven Line service was experiencing delays of 15 minutes due to police activity in the vicinity. Trains were running on schedule by mid-afternoon, according to Metro-North.
Daniels said employees on the train would receive counseling and were relieved from duty for the day after they had finished talking to police. They are eligible to receive up to three days off from work, according to MTA's policies, she said.
At least two people have been killed after being struck by trains this year in Fairfield County.
On March 29, a Waterbury woman was struck and killed by an Amtrak train at the Fairfield Metro-North station. Officials said they believed she was trying to cross to the platform on the opposite side. On May 27, a 32-year-old Bridgeport man was killed after lying down in front of a Metro-North train. That death also occurred near the Fairfield Metro train station.
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