A warning from Metra after two drivers had to bail from cars stalled on tracks
ELMWOOD PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- It's the stuff of nightmares – a car stalls in a railroad crossing, and the driver is forced to run for safety in the bitter cold.
It happened not once, but twice Thursday night – and it is believed that frigid temperatures are to blame. On Friday, CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey dug into what went wrong, and what drivers should do if it happens to them.
As the feels-like temperatures plummeted to the negative 20s and 30s Thursday night, two drivers in the Chicago area had to make that run from their cars after getting stranded on Metra tracks.
One was at Grand Avenue in Elmwood Park on the Milwaukee West Line. The other was up in Crystal Lake at Pingree Road on the Union Pacific Northwest Line.
Fortunately, in both cases, the train was stopped in time.
"The number one thing that people need to understand – if you get stuck on a rail crossing, get out of your car -immediately," said Meg Thomas-Reile.
Thomas-Reile explained that even though the extremely low temperatures are dangerous. drivers absolutely need to get out of their cars.
"Don't try to go, you know, speeding across - because you could hit a patch of ice and you end up misaligned, and you're stuck," she said, "or for a variety of other reasons, cars stall out."
Thomas-Reile says once you get out of the car, there are blue and white signs at each crossing with a phone number – (800) 716-9132. The number tells the railroad where you are, and connects directly to the train line's dispatching center.
Afterward, dispatchers can stop the train.
"And then don't get back in the car," Thomas-Reile said.
Thomas-Reile suggests walking in the opposite direction of the train - because in case it does slam into your car, you don't want to get hit by the wreckage.
She also warns that the arctic temperatures and high winds can sometimes cause the gates to malfunction.
"But look at the lights. The lights will be functioning, and if those lights start flashing, don't try to go through the tracks and beat the gate," Thomas-Reile said. "Don't try it. Just stop your car."
Metra says two late night trains on the Milwaukee West and three UP Northwest were delayed as a result of those cars getting stuck last night. But fortunately, they were able to stop the train traffic and get the drivers out safely.
Metra is also asking drivers to take extra caution crossing tracks at night when visibility might not be the best.