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player ready...A 30-year-old Wisconsin man died Sunday night when he drove around railroad crossing gates and his vehicle was struck by a Chicago-bound Metra train on the city’s southwest side, authorities said.
The man, whose name was still being withheld Monday pending notification of next of kin, was declared dead at the scene of the crash near 119th Street and Marshfield Avenue, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. An autopsy determined he died of multiple injuries.
The inbound Metra Rock Island District train struck his four-door black sedan at about 7 p.m., according to Metra spokesman Tom Miller.
“According to witnesses, the individual … drove around the gates attempting to cross and beat the train,” he said.
Witnesses told authorities that railroad lights were flashing and the crossing gates were down when the man, who was alone in the car, drove around them, Miller said. The train’s conductor confirmed what witnesses reported.
The train left the Joliet at 6:15 p.m. and was due to arrive at the LaSalle Street Station at 7:25 p.m., Miller said. The accident caused a 66-minute delay. No one on the train was injured.
Metra warns drivers not to drive around lowered gates and to never try to beat a train to the crossing.
Nick Swedberg is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.