Aurora Man, 72, Pulled From Car Right Before It Was Hit By Train

AURORA, IL — A 72-year-old Aurora man found himself trapped in his car that lodged in train tracks on Barnes Road Saturday night. "Just as the train collided with the vehicle," a nearby resident pulled him out of the car, the Kane County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.

Deputies responded to a report of a car hit by a train around 8:30 p.m. at the railroad crossing near the intersection of Barnes Road and Prairie Street in Sugar Grove Township. Officials said the driver had turned west from Barnes onto the railroad tracks. As he was driving down the tracks, the car's wheels, on the outside of the rail, got lodged, according to the sheriff's office.

A nearby resident was driving by when he noticed the trapped car and saw its tires spinning. Officials said he left his car on the side of the road and went to check on the man, who he found "suffering from a medical episode" and unable to move.

He went to call 911 when he noticed the train coming in his direction, so he unbuckled the driver and pulled him from the car, officials said. The pair tumbled down the side of the tracks right as the train smashed into the car.

Officials said the man stayed on the scene with the driver until deputies arrived.

"Every day, we see the people of Kane County doing charitable and even courageous things for one another," Sheriff Ron Hain said in a statement. "It is no surprise that one of our own sprang into action just in time to save another."

Sheriff's office officials said no citations have been issued, and deputies don't believe alcohol or drugs played a role in the incident.

Police didn't identify who the men were in the news release.

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