Crime & Safety
Driver Jumped Out At Last Second Before Dump Truck Was Hit By Metra Train
The unoccupied dump truck struck by a Metra train on May 16 had stalled on the tracks when the driver jumped out, Hometown police say.
HOMETOWN, IL — The driver of a dump truck that was hit by a Metra train jumped out of the vehicle seconds before it was struck, Hometown police told Patch.
Around 8 a.m. Friday, it was reported that an inbound Southwest Service 808 train struck an “unoccupied truck” at the 87th Street and Pulaski Road rail crossing. The crossing was closed for about 45 minutes, with readers left wondering how an unoccupied vehicle ended up on the tracks.
>>> No Injuries Reported In Unoccupied Truck Vs. Metra Train At 87th And Pulaski
Find out what's happening in Oak Lawnfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Hometown police were the first to respond to the train v. truck crash. Chief Lou Dominguez said the driver was traffic when the vehicles in front stopped. When the driver tried to move past the tracks, the dump truck’s manual transmission stalled.
After the second attempt of moving the truck failed, he heard the bells ringing and the gates dropping, so he got out of the truck,” Dominguez said.
Find out what's happening in Oak Lawnfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The train caught the truck’s front end, but nobody was injured.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
