All occupants of a car were uninjured after a train struck the car and left it severely damaged in North Chicago, halting Metra trains for almost two hours Tuesday evening.
The North Chicago Police Department, North Chicago Fire Department and Metra Police Department responded around 5:20 p.m. Tuesday to the area of Sheridan Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive for a vehicle crash involving a train.
Metra spokesperson Meg Reile said three people, including the female driver, were in a car.
The driver was attempting to make a right turn onto Martin Luther King Jr. Drive when it cut short and became stuck on the tracks.
The occupants were able to get out of the car before Metra Train 349, which was en route to the Waukegan yard, struck the vehicle, Reile said.
No injuries were reported by anyone on the train or from the vehicle. No passengers were on the train at the time because its last stop was in Highland Park.
The train pushed the white sedan down the tracks away from the railroad crossing after hitting it.
Firefighters had to cut a fence along Sheridan Road so a tow truck could access the vehicle to remove it from the tracks.
Metra reported inbound and outbound Union Pacific North (UP-N) trains were stopped near Great Lakes during the incident.
Reile said extensive delays were reported involving six trains, with some trains experiencing delays of up to 100 minutes.
Reile said all trains were back on the move around 7:05 p.m.
Track inspectors evaluated the tracks for damage before train traffic resumed.
Reile said it is believed weather may have affected the driver’s visibility and led to the incident.