Coal City man dead after freight train hits truck in Wilmington, officials say
Driver may have gotten stuck in gravel at railroad crossing, authorities say
WILMINGTON TOWNSHIP, Ill. (WLS) -- A man was killed when a train struck the pickup truck he was driving in Wilmington Township Monday afternoon.
The Will County Sherriff's Department said a BNSF freight train struck the pickup truck near Murphy and Cooper roads around 1:20 p.m.
Authorities said the pickup truck flipped onto its roof and came to a rest about 150 feet away from the crossing.
The driver was apparently ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead on the scene, the sheriff's department said.
Authorities identified the deceased driver as a 64-year-old man from Coal City. His name has not yet been released.
Initial reports indicate the driver may have been stuck in a gravel area near the railroad crossing, the sheriff's department said. The crossing signal, signal bells and crossing gates were still operating after the incident occurred.
A spokesman for BNSF Railway said no one on board the train was injured.
The Will County Sheriff's Accident Reconstruction Unit is investigating the cause of the crash.
