The coroner has released the identity of a man who died after his car was hit by a Metra train, causing major damage, moments after he was involved in a three-car crash near the railroad tracks in Barrington Friday.
An autopsy performed Monday showed that Robert Scheurich, 77, of Carpentersville, died as a result of blunt force injuries as a result of a vehicle crash, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek.
The Barrington Police Department and Barrington Fire Department responded around 11:45 a.m. Friday to the area of Route 14, also known as Northwest Highway, and Hart Road in Barrington for a report of a crash involving a train.
Emergency crews arrived and found multiple vehicles involved, along with a Metra train.
The crash occurred along the Union Pacific Northwest line between the Barrington and Fox River Grove Metra stations.
One of the cars, a red Chevrolet Malibu, driven by Scheurich, was struck by the train. It sustained major damage and came to rest off the road.
Police officers at the scene indicated that a three-vehicle crash occurred and then the Chevrolet was subsequently struck by the Metra train.
A woman who witnessed the incident told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that she was “traumatized” by what happened.
She said the three-vehicle crash involved a truck, the red sedan and a black BMW. The occupants got out of their vehicles and began arguing when suddenly the train bell started ringing.
The truck and the black BMW began moving out of the way but the red sedan was directly in front of the truck and could not move in time, which resulted in the train crashing into it and throwing the car into the railing and then downhill into an embankment, she said.
Metra spokeswoman Meg Thomas-Reile said the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation and she could not confirm the events that led to the crash.
Paramedics transported Scheurich to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington in unknown condition, Thomas-Reile said.
Police radio traffic indicated Scheurich was initially conscious at the hospital but his condition worsened during the day.
Banek said that Scheurich was moved to the intensive care unit and died in the hospital around 9 p.m. Friday.
Train #623 was outbound when it struck the vehicle, Thomas-Reile said, adding that extensive delays were reported.
All train traffic was initially halted but inbound trains were back on the move around 1 p.m.
Train #623 remained stopped at the scene until it was released around 2:30 p.m. The train appeared to have sustained minor front-end damage.
No injuries were reported to any crew or passengers on the train.
The Barrington Police Department is investigating the initial crash and the Metra Police Department is investigating the subsequent train crash.