A Bridgewater State College junior, Elizabeth Vale, died unexpectedly on September 6 at 7:30 pm on Saturday night; Vale was struck by a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority train in Mansfield.

The accident occurred about 300 yards south of West Street shortly after the commuter rail departed from the Mansfield station in Massachusetts on route to Providence, R.I. The 21 year-old college student resided in Mansfield and police suspect that Vale was using the tracks as a short cut to her house.

Just eight months ago, a 15 year old, Robert Castro from Easton, MA was also struck and killed by a train in Mansfield. Vale and Castro are among the half-dozen fatalities by trains in Mansfield since 1991.

Born in Norwood on May 8, 1987, Elizabeth Vale is the daughter of Stephen and Sherry Vale. She is also survived by her two sisters, brother, and grandmother.

She attended Bishop Feehan High School where she graduated in the summer of 2006. While in high school, Vale was a member of the debate club and Students Against Destructive Decisions. She was a member of the class of 2010 here at BSC.

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