Driver Cited After Trailer Comes Off SUV and is Struck by Metra Train

A trailer being pulled behind an SUV became unsecured and rolled onto the Metra tracks near Libertyville before it was struck by a westbound train Thursday morning, police said.

The collision occurred at 9:55 a.m. Thursday. The force of the crash pushed the trailer 200 yards and into a railroad bridge that goes over Route 45 near Route 137, Lake County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Christopher Covelli said.

The small, empty trailer became unhinged from a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe while the SUV was traveling east on Route 137, approaching Route 45, near Libertyville, Covelli said. The trailer struck a traffic light signal and then continued east through the grass before coming to rest on the railroad tracks.

A short time later, the trailer was struck by a westbound train. No one was injured and the train was stopped for 45 minutes as officials inspected the train, tracks and railroad bridge.

Route 45 was closed for about one hour and traffic was backed up as authorities investigated the crash, Covelli said.

The driver of the 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe Robert C. Horvath, 72, of the 24000 block of West Cherokee Trail in Grayslake, was cited for unsecured load and no safety chains on the trailer.