Metra Passenger Dies In Clarendon Hills Crash With Truck: Official

CLARENDON HILLS, IL – A Metra passenger died after a train struck a semi-truck Wednesday morning in Clarendon Hills, a Metra official said.

Two other passengers and two crew members were injured in the crash, but their injuries were not considered life-threatening, Metra spokeswoman Meg Riley said in an interview.

The semi-truck burst into flames, she said. The driver apparently got out of the truck before the crash. Footage from an ABC 7 helicopter shows the semi-truck was heavily damaged.

"This is devastating to everyone at Metra and BNSF," Riley said. "This is a very sad day."

The Clarendon Hills village government previously announced that train traffic would resume at 1 p.m. Wednesday, but said the Prospect Avenue crossing would remain closed to both pedestrian and cars for the next day. This is while the investigation continues and repairs are made to safety equipment, the village said.

The National Transportation Safety Board has taken over the investigation, Riley said.

This is only the second incident in Metra's nearly 40-year history in which a passenger died, Riley said.

The other time was in September 2005 with the derailment of a Metra train on the Rock Island line. Two female passengers were killed when the train went through a 10 mph switch at 69 mph, Riley said.