Rail gate was down and functional, officials say
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Four people were “immediately incinerated” and killed early Wednesday morning when an SUV tried to speed through a train crossing and hit a freight car outside of Chicago, according to officials.
“There’s no way for us to know the motivation of someone driving a car,” said Jason Baumann, a spokesman for the city of Harvey, which is nearby the crash site. “It’s just sad that we’re sitting here today and there’s four people in their 20s and 30s who aren’t going home today because of that.”
Authorities have identified Jeremy Robinson of Riverdale, Illinois as the driver, and Xavier Moore, Tieasha Rush, and Jada Moore, all from Chicago, as the passengers, according to ABC7.
The train gate sat the intersection of 155th and Halsted streets were down and functioning properly when the crash occurred, as the Dodge Durango SUV tried to beat the train through the crossing, according to emergency officials.
It took police over an hour to extricate the mangled wreck from the tracks, and a medical examiner is now inspecting the bodies of those inside, whose families have been notified. Officials say gathering evidence from the car, which is now in the hands of police, may be difficult.
“It’s terrible that this happens,” Mr Baumann added. “It kind of reminds us how dangerous train intersections can be. We have to be very cognizant of that and make sure we’re looking.”
Police in the city of Phoenix, Illinois, as well as the Federal Railroad Administration, are investigating the crash, which occurred with a CSX locomotive.
“There were no injuries to the train crew. CSX extends its deepest sympathies to everyone impacted by this tragic incident, and we will work to support local law enforcement as they investigate,” the company said in a statement.
The train was mostly past the crossing at the time of the crash, according to officials, and it appears the SUV struck the final passing rail car around 2am before catching fire.
Emergency crews arriving on the scene found the burnt out SUV, while the train continued its journey.
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