Amtrak train strikes vehicle at Bourbonnais Parkway

BOURBONNAIS — No one was injured Wednesday afternoon when a southbound Amtrak train struck a vehicle which was stuck on the tracks at the crossing at Bourbonnais Parkway and Illinois Route 50.

The crossing was closed because Canadian National Roadway was working on the crossing.

The accident was about 1.5 miles north of the deadly Amtrak train accident of March 1999.

The driver of the vehicle, a 72-year-old woman from Peotone, was able to get out prior to the crash, Bourbonnais Deputy Police Chief Dave Anderson said.

At this point, no tickets have been issued.

She drove around barricades immediately placed by Canadian National at the crossing, Anderson said.

There were 133 passengers and five crew members on the Amtrak train No. 393 which was heading to Carbondale, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said.

There were no injuries.

Bourbonnais Fire Protection District Chief Jim Keener said two departments were dispatched to the site.

Bourbonnais police were notified at 5:23 p.m. of a vehicle stuck on the tracks, Anderson said.

Officials from Canadian National were contacted, and they in turn contacted Amtrak of the situation, Anderson said.

Amtrak alerted the crew who slowed down. When they spotted the car, they hit the brakes, but were unable to stop, Anderson said.

The impact moved the vehicle a short distance off the crossing, Anderson said.

After the route reopened, the train continued south after a delay of about 4 hours, 10 minutes, Magilari said in the statement.

Although the driver correctly exited the disabled vehicle, they appear not to have called CN Railway to notify dispatchers of the track obstruction. The Illinois Operation Lifesaver website has more information and the national office of OLI.org has produced a video about best actions, Magliari said in the statement.

Amtrak continues to work closely with Operation Lifesaver to #STOPTrackTragedies by emphasizing the obvious dangers of being on railroad property or disregarding warnings at rail crossings. For more railroad safety information, please visit StayOffTheTracks.org, Magliari said.

It is believed high winds in the area Wednesday knocked down road closed signage and barricades erected by Canadian National further west on Bourbonnais Parkway, Anderson said.

“When barricades are up don’t drive around them. Turn around and take a different route,” Anderson said.

The site of the crash is just north of a where a deadly crash of an Amtrak train and a semi-tractor trailer on March 15, 1997 that had gone around crossing gates on McKnight Road.

The driver of the semi, John R. Stokes, who died in 2007, was leaving Birmingham Steel after picking up a load of steel rebar.

McKnight Road, which intersects Illinois Route 50, led to Birmingham Steel’s parking lot and loading area.

The crash claimed the lives of 11 and sent another 121 passengers to local hospitals. There were 207 crew and passengers on the train.

Due to the crash, a portion of Illinois Route 50 was moved east, away from the railroad tracks and McKnight Road was closed a few years later.

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