A man was hospitalized in critical condition after being hit by a Metra train after he laid down on the train tracks in Winthrop Harbor Monday night.
The Winthrop Harbor Fire and Police Departments were called at around 11:50 p.m. for a report of a person who was struck by a train near 7th Street at the Metra station on the Union Pacific North Rail Line.
Winthrop Harbor Fire Department Chief Justin Stried said that fire crews arrived and confirmed that a 46-year-old man was struck by a train. The victim was in critical condition and a Flight For Life medical helicopter was called to transport the subject to a trauma center.
A landing zone was setup by the Zion Fire Department at Village Park on 9th Street in Winthrop Harbor.
The victim was transported in critical condition to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. Fire Chief Justin Stried couldn’t give an updated condition on the victim as of Tuesday.
According to police, the man is a transient who was evicted from a hotel recently. Police also said that the man had laid down on the train tracks before being hit.
The incident is currently under investigation by the Winthrop Harbor Police Department.