Amtrak Train Tears Car In Two As Drunk Driver Pulled To Safety In Morton Grove, Police Say

MORTON GROVE, IL — An Amtrak train crashed into a car Thursday in Morton Grove, tearing it into two pieces moments after bystanders pulled a drunken driver out of it, police said.

No one was injured in the collision between the train, which had been heading to Chicago from Minnesota, and the sedan, which took place around 7 p.m. near River Drive and Lehigh Avenue, according to Morton Grove police.

Even before the car was struck by the train, police were first called to the area for a report of a reckless driver behind the wheel of an Acura.

The driver of the Acura, identified by police only as a 56-year-old Mount Prospect man, had crashed into a parked car in the 8100 block of Lehigh Avenue.

As the motorist attempted to flee the crash site, he headed north on the railroad tracks until his car became disabled.

Video footage captured at the scene shows the impact tore the Acura in two, with debris scattered along the tracks.

The car’s wreckage was seen lodged at the front of the train while the rear portion of the vehicle remained on the tracks, its back end heavily damaged.

Morton Grove officers arrested the Mount Prospect man on suspicion of driving under the influence, with charges pending further investigation. Metra police have taken the lead on investigating the collision between the train and the car.

The crash delayed southbound Amtrak trains and halted Metra Milwaukee District North Line service in both directions during the investigation.

Lehigh Avenue was closed between Lincoln Avenue and River Drive, and Metra’s tracks were closed through the night.