Police cited the driver of a minivan after he tried driving around a railroad crossing gate and his vehicle was struck by a freight train Sunday near Mundelein.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake Zurich Fire Department and Countryside Fire Protection District responded around 1:30 p.m. Sunday to Gilmer Road near Indian Creek Road in unincorporated Mundelein.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived to find a 2007 Toyota Sienna that had been struck by a train and sustained major damage, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
An investigation showed the driver of the Toyota, a 45-year-old Lake Zurich man, was traveling southeast on Gilmer Road from Midlothian Road.
The gates for the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern railroad crossing were down at the time.
The driver looked to the left and saw a train stopped in the distance and then went around the railroad gates, Covelli told Lake and McHenry County Scanner.
The driver failed to see a train was coming from the southwest. That train then struck the Toyota.
Covelli said the driver of the Toyota was uninjured in the crash and train personnel was also uninjured.
The intersection was blocked for several hours while the railroad tracks were inspected.
The driver of the Toyota was issued several traffic citations for driving around an active railroad gate, improper passing and other infractions.