UPDATED: Metra Train Strikes Car in Hometown, 2 Dead, 4 Hurt: Reports

Updated 5:09 p.m. Monday

Hometown Police Chief Charles Forsyth said weather may have played a role in a deadly train vs. car accident at 87th Street and Pulaski on Monday afternoon. Two people are now confirmed dead.

Forsyth said the gate closed behind a Chevy Impala, which may have gotten stuck on the tracks in the path of the oncoming train due to a traffic jam caused by Monday’s icy road conditions.

The outbound Metra train hit the silver Chevy Impala on the passenger side, killing a woman in the front passenger seat, and a woman sitting on the passenger side in the backseat, Forsyth said.

Their ages were 18 and 20 years old. The names of women have not been publicly released.

A 3-year-old child and another man who were also sitting in the backseat when the car was struck were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center. Their conditions were reported as serious, the police chief said.

The driver received minor injuries. Six people were in the Impala and all had to be extricated, Forsyth said.

The injured included 20-year-old man, a 17-year-old boy, 17-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy, Metra said.

Forsyth said the impact of the train hitting the car pushed it about 70 feet down the tracks. The car came to a rest against a utility box that prevented it from going down the incline.

Metra spokeswoman Meg Reile said train #815 departed downtown Chicago at 12:35 p.m. Monday, when it hit the vehicle carrying the driver and passengers shortly after 1 p.m.

Southwest Highway is now open. Pulaski and 87th Street are still closed as the investigation wraps up.

The police chief said both should reopen by 6 p.m.

Reile said the accident was still under investigation. The train gate, lights and other safety devices appeared to be in operating order but that, too, is under investigation.

Video from the train will be downloaded Monday evening as part of the investigation, Reile said.

Hometown Mayor Kevin Casey said he was being kept apprised of the accident by his police chief.

This story has been updated with new information.