(The following appeared on the Chicago Sun-Times website on April 18.)
OAK LAWN — A Wisconsin man claims he was following his in-car navigational system when drove onto railroad tracks in southwest suburban Oak Lawn and got stuck. The empty car was struck by a Metra train at 94th Street and Cicero Avenue before he could move it.
Oak Lawn police responded to a 911 call of a car stuck on the tracks at 10:21 p.m. Thursday. When they arrived, they found a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse facing eastbound and the driver and his female passenger standing nearby, Oak Lawn Division Chief Mike Kaufmann said.
Before police could attempt to move the car, a Metra train appeared. Officers tried to signal the operator but he was unable to stop in time and the train struck the vehicle, spinning it around and knocking down a traffic gate, which in turn damaged the front end of a squad car.
No one was injured and no traffic citations issued. The train was delayed for less than 30 minutes.
Kaufmann said the 24-year-old driver was obeying his GPS system when he took a right turn onto the tracks and his car’s undercarriage became lodged on the rail.
“GPS will tell you something, but you still have to pay attention to what’s going on,” he said.