Metra train strikes trailer near Libertyville, but no one hurt
A Metra train crashed into a small trailer that had broken loose from an SUV near Libertyville on Thursday morning.
No one was hurt in the accident, which occurred about 10 a.m. near routes 137 and 45.
A Grayslake man was driving a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe east on Route 137 toward Route 45 when the empty trailer attached to the SUV broke loose, said Detective Chris Covelli, a spokesman for the Lake County sheriff's office. The trailer rolled into a traffic light pole, continued through a grassy area and then stopped on the nearby Metra tracks.
A westbound Metra train hit the trailer and pushed it about 200 yards onto a railroad bridge over Route 45. A railing on the bridge was damaged in the process and hung down toward the roadway below until it could be removed.
Metra engineers inspected the train and the bridge. The train was allowed to continue to its next destination after about 45 minutes, Covelli said, and the bridge was deemed structurally safe for train traffic.
Car traffic on Route 45 beneath the bridge was temporarily halted because of the crash. Motorists were directed to Route 137 as a detour.
The Tahoe's driver, 72-year-old Robert C. Horvath of the 24000 block of West Cherokee Trail, was ticketed for hauling an unsecured load and not having safety chains on the trailer, Covelli said.
• Daily Herald reporter Bob Susnjara contributed to this report.