Man struck by Bartlett train hid behind signal

A man struck by a train in Bartlett Wednesday afternoon had walked onto the tracks after hiding behind a railroad signal, Metra officials said witnesses reported.

A Metra official said the man was still alive at St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates as of late Thursday.

Metra investigators haven't yet made a final determination as to whether the man's actions were deliberate, spokesman Tom Miller said.

Metra hasn't released the name of the man, described as being in his 50s. Officials at St. Alexius said they couldn't report the man's condition without knowing his name.

Bartlett police Thursday said they had no information of their own since Metra is leading the investigation.

The Milwaukee West Line train left Chicago's Union Station for Elgin at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and struck the pedestrian at about 4:45 p.m.

Paramedics called to the scene found the man several hundred feet east of the intersection of the railroad tracks and Prospect Avenue.

The man was taken to surgery for unknown injuries at about 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, Metra officials said.