A 39-year-old man was killed Monday morning when he was struck by a train after driving around a car and around the railroad safety gates at Smith Street in Palatine as a train approached, authorities said.
James P. Hendy of Palatine died after his car was struck by the train shortly after 8 a.m., said Palatine Police Cmdr. Jim Haider.
Hendy was driving a 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity when he was hit by a Union Pacific Metra Northwest train, according to police.
The momentum of the train carried Hendy’s car from Smith Street to near Benton Street, about a quarter ofa mile away, police said.
Several other cars parked in the commuter lot near the tracks were damaged by debris and rocks thrown by the passing train and car.
The train, No. 630 from Harvard, was expected at the Metra Terminal downtown at 8:40 a.m., said Metra spokesman Frank Malone.
Several trains were delayed by the accident, but Malone did not know how many trains or passengers were affected.
