UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill. — Amtrak’s southbound Illini derailed Sunday evening after hitting a truck at a grade crossing near the University Park Metra station, about 30 miles south of Chicago.
The driver of the truck was killed, according to a University Park Fire Department official quoted by ABC News, and two people on board the train were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Train No. 393, the Illini to Carbondale, Ill., was reported to be traveling at about 70 mph when it hit the truck about 5 p.m., derailing the locomotive and five cars. About 300 passengers and five crew members were on board. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told ABC News the crossing gates appeared to be working at the time of the accident.
Service on Canadian National’s former Illinois Central route south of Chicago remains disrupted in the wake of the accident. Sunday night’s southbound departure of the City of New Orleans was cancelled, as is Monday morning’s morning’s Train No. 391, the Saluki to Carbondale. The northbound City of New Orleans, scheduled to arrive in Chicago on Monday morning, was terminated in Carbondale with passengers bused the remainder of the route.
Monday’s departures of the City of New Orleans from Chicago and New Orleans will operate as scheduled, Magliari said, and as will the southbound Illini, train No. 393, scheduled to depart Chicago at 4:05 p.m., and the northbound Illini, train No. 392, scheduled to depart Carbondale at 4:15 p.m.
— Updated at 9 a.m. CDT on July 29 with corrected number of derailed cars, more information on Monday operations; update at 10:40 a.m. CDT on July 29 with restoration of service on Chicago-Carbondale route.
Always sad to hear this, but as a retired BNSF engineer friend says “they were in a place they were not supposed and I was” He has killed people over the years, but can’t let it bother him, so that’s his philosophy. As a friend says “you can’t fix stupid”. What is worth trying to save a few mins going around gates and losing life. And Amtrak is never that long a train. Freights are much longer today but still no excuse. People are in too much of a hurry today, they practically run people off the road being in a rush. I met the engineer who ran the Bourbonnais train at W. Chicago IL as we waited to see #4014. He was talking to us as my friend wanted to talk to Austin Barker from steam crew that she knows. He had on Amtrak shirt with his name and knew he had to be an employee. He said he’d been engineer on CONO from Chi to Carbondale and had to take medical disability after that wreck. I did not remember it but will look it up as he said it was a bad one. I think he said it was 1996
In all my years of driving OTR one thing I remember car train accidents are bad for cars, truck train accidents are bad for trains.
One comment, I think operation lifesaver should try to make an outreach to the commercial truck operations, at truck stops and carriers. It is a community that takes lessons to heart of an effort is made.
No disclaimers today from me. If you need an attorney look in the yellow pages.
Yesterday (Sun) there was a very similar accident in New Hampshire – a :Downeaster” Amtrak train struck a truck at a grade crossing; I believe that the driver was killed.
No one mentioned the Engineer of 393… Could be an old friend…. Waiting to hear from him.(?)
Unfortunately the fatalities on the City of New Orleans collision were on the train and not the cab of the truck.
He’s probably been driving around those gates for decades & nothing happened not realizing his reactions have slowed over time. I can’t tell you how many times people have driven over traffic cones closing a street due to an crash or fire with the excuse, “I’ve been driving this way for years.” I don’t think it’s a Darwin thing but a geriatric thing.
ANNA – Or, twenty years ago (plus or minus) Bourbonnais, Illinois, you don’t try to beat the City of New Orleans trailing a load of steel.
Would someone like to put the truck driver in for the Darwin Award? You never, ever, try to beat a train.
The above comments are general in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. Find your own damn kamikazi.
News film showed a sign on what’s left of the box truck as belonging to a plumbing co. We probably won’t see these guys at a truck stop.
Time for another Darwin award.
Local ABC TV station said “Amtrak killed truck” So much for TV reporters.It is now reported that video shows the truck went around the gates.
Based on local news coverage video, it appears to be either a pickup or SUV that was struck. The driver was a 77 year old local, so I doubt that it was a commercial truck much less a semi. Dude drove around the gates and paid the price for his impatience. Sad indeed.