The lead car of the commuter train jumped the tracks and listed heavily. Tim Olk photo
Mount Prospect and Des Plaines Fire Departments were notified of a Metra Train colliding with a dump truck this morning at the Mt. Prospect Road crossing at Northwest Highway. The collision occurred in Mt. Prospect and the ensuing partial derailment and fire was 1/4 mile further down the line in Des Plaines. Both departments setup a unified command to coordinate the emergency response to the incident. The truck driver was killed at the scene and multiple train passengers were transported to area hospitals with varying degrees of injuries though none were critical. An EMS Box Alarm was requested and as the number of passengers with medical complaints grew, the alarm was upgraded to a 3rd Alarm and then to a 5th Alarm. In addition, a PACE bus was called to the scene to assist with transporting a group of patients that were triaged with a status of ‘green‘. Ambulances from Divisions 1, 3, and 20 responded to assist at the scene.
Fuel which splashed along the exterior of the train ignited along the first two cars. Tim Olk photo
The Chicago Tribune has an article HERE which states;
All the train cars remained upright but at least 29 passengers were taken to hospitals and 10 others were treated on the scene. Officials said none of the injuries aboard the train appeared life-threatening, though the engineer was listed in critical condition.
The train, No. 636, was headed inbound from Harvard when it hit the truck on the crossing at about 8:40 a.m. at Seger near the Cumberland station in Mount Prospect, said Michael Gillis, a spokesman for Metra.
The truck driver was identified as Kazimierz Karasek, 59, from Prospect Heights. Karasek, had been cited for more than 50 traffic violations, including a DUI, since 1986.
The truck was carrying load of concrete and was headed northwest on Northwest Highway, police said. It turned left onto Mount Prospect Road and through the crossing, Wagner said, adding that the gates were down and the signals were working.
The front train car came to rest roughly 200 yards east of Mount Prospect road, a gash slicing the metal above the lower row of windows.
Union Pacific spokesman Wes Lujan said the gates at the crossing were “operating as designed.”
“We believe that he drove around the gates,” Lujan said at a news conference.
He said crossing design is an “issue” because of Northwest Highway’s diagonal slant, but he added, “There’s no reason to go around (the gates).”
A similar accident involving the same kind of truck happened almost 10 years ago at the Mount Prospect Road and Northwest Highway intersection, according to Des Plaines fire officials.
In today’s accident, Wagner said the driver would have disregarded a “No Left Turn” sign, in addition to the gates and crossing lights. The driver had to cross into the northbound lanes of Mount Prospect Road to get around the northern gate, he said. That left the cab squarely on the tracks as the train blew through the intersection, and the trailer and cab bent like a jacknife, with the trailer hitting the train cars.
Tim Olk and Larry Shapiro were at the scene and submitted several images.
Looking southeast from Mt. Prospect Road shows the derailment of the first car. Tim Olk photo
Another perspective looking northwest along the tracks shows the entire train as it came to rest after the collision. Tim Olk photo
A view from the relative point of impact shows the devastation to the dump truck and the scattering of the concrete load it was carrying. Tim Olk photo
An overview of the intersection of Northwest Highway and Mt Prospect Road shows the accident scene. Larry Shapiro photo
The truck's cab was sheared off and thrown roughly 50 feet from the rest of the truck. Larry Shapiro photo
A view of the destroyed truck as scene from the north side of the accident scene. Larry Shapiro photo
The train came to rest 1/4 of a mile further down the tracks. Larry Shapiro photo
Paramedics attend to train passengers assembled on the opposite side of Northwest Highway. Larry Shapiro photo
Damage to the lead car from striking the truck. Larry Shapiro photo
Windows are damaged by the fire but protected the passengers inside. Larry Shapiro photo
Damage to the second car from fuel which ignited outside the train. One of the truck's fuel tanks was lodged beneath the first car of the train. Larry Shapiro photo
A patient is loaded onto a gurney after being immobilized by paramedics for the trip to a hospital. Larry Shapiro photo
Tim has a fallery online HERE and Larry has a gallery online HERE. Radio traffic from this incident can be found HERE.
