A man was seriously injured after a Metra train struck his car on Lily Pond Road in unincorporated Woodstock early Saturday morning. | Photo: WFRD

A man was flown to the hospital with serious injuries after his car was hit by a Metra train near Woodstock early Saturday morning, fire officials said.

The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded at 2:05 a.m. Saturday to the railroad crossing on Lily Pond Road in unincorporated Woodstock for a report of a vehicle that was hit by a train.

Firefighters arrived in minutes and found a heavily damaged vehicle in the roadway just south of the train tracks, according to Woodstock Fire/Rescue District Communication Specialist Alex Vucha.

A man was seriously injured after a Metra train struck his car on Lily Pond Road in unincorporated Woodstock early Saturday morning. | Photo: WFRD

Initial reports show the driver, a man, was outside of his vehicle when the collision with the outbound Metra train occurred.

He was seriously injured after being hit by his own vehicle or by debris after the collision, Vucha said.

The man was flown by a LifeNet medical helicopter to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Vucha said.

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No one else was in the vehicle and no occupants on the Metra train required medical attention.

A man was seriously injured after a Metra train struck his car on Lily Pond Road in unincorporated Woodstock early Saturday morning. | Photo: WFRD

Lily Pond Road was closed in both directions for over three hours and trains were halted but began moving shortly after 5 a.m., Vucha said.

The Metra Police Department is investigating the crash and reviewing video footage.

“While the exact cause is still being investigated, the crossing can be very dangerous to anyone unfamiliar with the area. The crossing is located at the bottom of a ravine and difficult to navigate, even without snowy and icy road conditions,” Vucha said.

In 2015, a 19-year-old high school graduate died after a train hit her vehicle at the same railroad crossing, the Rockford Register Star reported.