Officials say two children are dead and a woman is recovering in the hospital after a crash involving an Amtrak train in the western suburbs on Wednesday morning.
According to Village of Western Springs officials, a westbound Amtrak train collided with an SUV on the Wolf Road tracks near the Metra Western Springs stop approximately 8 a.m.
Witnesses say a woman and two children were inside the burning car.
“I saw a massive, like, fireball. Witness William Frey reported that the car immediately burst into flames. “The debris starts all the way down at the intersection where the impact hit, and it flew all the way over there.”
The smoke and flames drew the attention of folks working out at Elite Fitness, located on Burlington Avenue directly above the lines.
“A handful of our members came out and immediately helped one of the people. “They were true heroes who jumped right into action,” said Luke Garvey of Elite Fitness.
“We got the woman and a child out of the car, and from what I understand, one child was still in the car,” Elite Fitness Owner Mark Wolz added.
WGN-TV interviewed one of the gym members who ran down to help. He said the woman was on fire, so he removed his shirt and attempted to extinguish the flames on her body until another member arrived with a fire extinguisher.
“Those are the people that gave everything they could,” Wolz replied. “It was another accident that did not have to happen.”
The woman was sent to Loyola Hospital with significant injuries.
Authorities have yet to identify the children who were killed. Both attended Pleasantdale Elementary School in La Grange. The school superintendent issued the following statement:
“Our deepest condolences go out to the family as our entire school community mourns this tragic loss. Students and staff were informed of the tragedy this afternoon, and our school social workers and crisis response team have been providing support.”
None of the 35 passengers or personnel aboard the train were injured. They were deboarded and given bus transportation away from the scene.
The incident shut down the tracks for six hours. It is unclear what caused the crash. Preliminary assessments show that the railroad crossing gates were operational at the time of the incident.
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