Girl injured in Elgin Metra crash Saturday night
A South Elgin man faces a number of charges after the car he was driving went off the road and collided with a Metra train late Saturday, severely injuring his 14-month-old daughter.
Pedro Bustamante, 20, who lives in the 300 block of Ann Street in South Elgin, was charged Sunday with consumption of alcohol by someone under the age of 21, driving without a valid driver’s license, driving too fast for conditions and operating an uninsured vehicle while causing bodily harm. He was released on bond.
The girl was flown to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where she was listed in stable condition Sunday. Her pregnant mother, Brenda Ceja, was under observation at Provena St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin, and the girl’s 5-year-old brother was treated and released.
Elgin Police Commander Glenn Theriault said the crash occurred at 9:40 p.m. Saturday. The car was traveling south on Raymond Street south of Bluff City Boulevard. At that point, he said, the road bends into a sharp curve before it reaches the railroad tracks.
Theriault said the car did not follow the curve in the road, struck a guardrail and bounced into the path of the oncoming train, which was returning to the Chicago Street station.
He said the car also collided with another vehicle, which was headed northbound, but the impact on the northbound vehicle was minor and, as far as the car that struck it was concerned, “It barely put a dent in a car that was obliterated.”
According to the Elgin Fire Department, the driver of the northbound vehicle failed to see the disabled car in the roadway and drove into it.
No one was injured on the train, which, police said, suffered some damage but was still operational.
The area was closed for about four hours while crash investigators were on the scene.
Shortly after the crash, alcohol was suspected to be a factor, although weather was also considered.
“At the time it was pouring rain when the crash occurred,” Theriault said.
The Elgin Fire Department was on the scene, assisted by several units from the South Elgin Fire Department. The Kane County Office of Emergency Management also provided lighting to aid in the investigation.