McHenry man mistakes tracks for road, hit by train
An 80-year-old man suffered non-life-threatening injuries after mistakenly turning his car onto railroad tracks instead of Route 83, and getting hit by a train in Grayslake, authorities said.
Police said the driver was on eastbound Route 120 but turned prematurely when he wanted to go south on Route 83 about 5 a.m.
Police said the McHenry man, whose identity wasn't released, wound up traveling south on the railroad tracks parallel to Route 83. A northbound Canadian Pacific freight train hit the front end of the man's 2008 Pontiac.
Information wasn't immediately available on how far the man drove or whether railroad gates were down.
Heavy damage to the Pontiac made it difficult for firefighters to remove the man from the vehicle, authorities said.
Grayslake Fire Protection District Chief Donald Mobley said the man was freed in 20 to 25 minutes and transported to Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.
An emergency medical helicopter was summoned, the fire chief said, but was not allowed to fly because of poor weather conditions.
Mobley said the freight train's crew wasn't injured.
Grayslake police said no tickets have been issued. They said driver impairment didn't appear to be a factor in the crash.
Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team members were summoned to investigate the crash.