Fatal accident, other problems slow commute on Metra
Some Metra commuters experienced long delays Wednesday night after a handful of incidents - including a fatal crash - created rush hour chaos on certain lines.
On the Union Pacific Northwest Line, inbound Metra train No. 654 struck a vehicle just before 5 p.m. at Lily Pond Road just outside Woodstock, killing one person, Woodstock fire officials said.
Trains on the Union Pacific Northwest Line experienced delays of 95 minutes or more throughout the evening, as a result. Train No. 654 was delayed more than two and a half hours.
In Buffalo Grove, weather may have caused a driver to lose control and flip her vehicle over onto the railroad tracks, police say.
The crash happened just after 6 p.m. on Deerfield Road. The 22-year-old woman was driving a 1996 Jeep Cherokee and was believed to be heading east, Buffalo Grove Sgt. Vince Positano said.
"It looks like weather conditions were slick," he said.
The vehicle came to rest on the west set of tracks, on Metra's North Central Service line. Trains were initially stopped in both directions until one eventually backed up and switched to the east side of the tracks and passed with caution, Positano said.
The driver was taken to Northwest Community Hospital with minor injuries. Police remained on the scene for more than two hours, as the crossing arm was broken off.
Metra trains were not delayed as a result of this accident, Metra Spokesman Tom Miller said.
But not long after, an outbound train on the North Central Service line struck a pedestrian near Elmwood Park and River Grove. That person was not killed by the train, Miller said.
That train - expected in Antioch at 8:34 p.m. - arrived as much as 55 minutes behind schedule.
Additionally, a handful of mechanical and switch problems contributed to some delays. Metra officials didn't connect the dots between the weather and any mechanical problems.
"I can't say that there's any weather-related delays at this time," Miller said. "One was a vehicle and one was a pedestrian incident."