‘I wish we had more time’: Barrington students remember Metra accident victim as adventurous, supportive and loving

About 300 people packed a Barrington youth community center Friday night to remember a Barrington High School student who died Thursday in a collision with a Metra train.

Marin Lacson, 17, was fatally struck Thursday morning by a commuter train approaching the Barrington station. She was a lacrosse player, Chinese immersion student and a high school junior, Barrington High School District 220 officials said.

“I wish she wasn’t taken because we talked a lot about our futures together,” said the first of several teenagers to remember Marin as upbeat, friendly and outgoing — she occasionally asked her friends to marry her or go on a date with her. Her friends recalled hikes, bike rides, talks of road trips and planned trips to Italy.

“We could always find a way to laugh together. I wish we had more time,” said a girl who said Marin was her best friend.

The vigil in Marin’s memory was originally set to take place at a local park, but turnout to the event was so high that mourners filled a second location, the Barrington Campus Life Center, to its doors, with candles rattling in plastic cups. At the front of the room, “We love you, Marin” was projected on a stage while students took the microphone one by one.

A longtime lacrosse teammate said that Marin “could always make you feel you were doing well,” even when a pass went awry.

“(Even though I was) worst person on her team, she still chose to do drills with me, even though she had to go and fetch the ball more often than I’d like to admit,” another teammate said.

“She was always smiling — I never remember her complaining, even when we were on the line, doing sprints,” a third player said.

They remembered how she would introduce herself to people, how she’d volunteer to work together on class projects and how she set her friends at ease.

One girl told a story of a trip to Colorado with Marin and her family and being afraid to take a particular hike. Marin had made her comfortable on the outing, she said.

“When we reached the top, she convinced me to come out on this rock with her and look at the view,” the teen said.

Metra spokesperson Michael Gillis said witnesses told Metra police officers that all of the rail crossing warning lights and gates were engaged at the time of the accident. Metra police are investigating the incident, he said.

Originally Published: Jan 26, 2024 at 12:54 pm