Metra Train Slams Into Car In Palatine; Driver Killed
UPDATED 12/27/11 11:22 a.m.
PALATINE, Ill. (CBS) -- Metra trains on the Union Pacific Northwest line were halted Monday morning, after an inbound train slammed into a car in Palatine.
The accident happened about 7:30 a.m. at Brockway Street in Palatine when train No. 622 hit a car on the inbound tracks, Metra spokesman Michael Gillis said.
It took crews 25 minutes to extricate the man from the vehicle and he was dead at the scene, police said.
He was identified as Michael Levgard, 64, of Palatine.
The train left McHenry at 6:52 a.m. and had been scheduled to arrive in downtown Chicago at 8:13 a.m., but the accident caused significant delays on that line.
Police are looking into whether the man drove around lowered gates or whether the 1999 Mercury he was driving somehow got stuck on the tracks, Palatine police Cmdr. Craig Lesselyoung said.
A reconstruction team remained at the scene at 10:30 a.m.
The train was carrying passengers at the time and sustained minor damage to the front car, which required maintenance before the train could be moved. One passenger on the train required minor medical assistance and was released back to Metra after being seen by paramedics, police said.
The smashed car was removed and the tracks were reopened at 10:30 a.m. Trains began moving at that point, but delays were still reported.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
