HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Jan. 13, 2025) – A Hope College junior from west of Cleveland lost her life after being struck by a train on Saturday night at the Holland campus.
The incident around 6:20 PM near the East 10th Street crossing took the life of 20-year-old Jennifer Kasunick. A visually-impaired student, she was walking her service dog at the time of the incident; the canine survived.
Her work for improving accessibility on campus led to her nomination for a 2024 Accessibility Awareness Award given by the school. A memorial of flowers was seen at the crossing hours after the incident, and school officials have posted support resource contacts to students in campus-wide emails.
According to Captain of Administrative Services Bob Buursma, Holland Department of Public Safety Police Services officers, after speaking with witnesses and viewing surveillance video, believe at this point that this was an accidental incident. The train signals were activated, and Miss Kasunick was standing still just west of the tracks, but apparently was unaware of her close proximity to those tracks, and was clipped by the passing train. She was taken to Holland Hospital, where she expired from her injuries.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
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