Prospect Heights officer drove around railroad gates before crash
A Prospect Heights police officer drove around activated railroad-crossing gates while responding to a call Wednesday afternoon moments before a Metra train struck his patrol SUV, authorities said Thursday.
Sgt. Michael Stone, 49, first stopped on Camp McDonald Road to wait for a train dropping off passengers at the city's Metra station nearby, Police Chief Al Steffen said. After the northbound train passed at about 3:46 p.m., Stone drove around the gates and the rear of his vehicle was struck by a southbound train, Steffen said.
The police SUV ended up in the backyard of a house near the intersection of the tracks and Camp McDonald Road.
Stone, a 26-year veteran of the department and patrol supervisor, was taken to a hospital with scrapes and bruises, Steffen said.
Officers from Mount Prospect, Northbrook, Wheeling and Buffalo Grove responded to the scene to help with traffic control, while Metra crews worked to reopen the tracks. The collision caused the train headed to Chicago's Union Station to be stopped for about two hours.
Stone was responding to a report of an intoxicated person who needed a psychiatric evaluation, Steffen said.
The Wheeling Police Department is investigating the crash because the collision involved a Prospect Heights officer. The case will then be referred to an internal traffic crash review board to make a finding, Steffen said.