Man fatally struck by Metra train
by CYRYL JAKUBOWSKI
A Northwest Side man was fatally injured when a Metra train on the Union Pacific Northwest Line struck his vehicle as he attempted to cross past lowered crossing gates at about 7:10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, near Nagle Avenue and Northwest Highway, according to Chicago Fire Media Affairs and Metra.
Metra spokesman Tom Miller said that the engineer of Train 610 reported that the train was traveling inbound when he saw a black vehicle drive around the gates on Nagle between Avondale Avenue and Northwest Highway.
The man was identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office as Glen V. Robles, age 51, of the 6000 block of West Peterson Avenue.
Traffic and trains were delayed for hours during the investigation of the incident, the spokesman said.
The crossing underwent safety improvements in 2010 after semi-trailer truck received minor damage when it was struck by a Metra train after it became stuck on the tracks in heavy morning traffic. The repairs were planned after a rail-crossing safety expert with the Illinois Commerce Commission found that the crossing did not meet minimal safety requirements.
Improvements included reconstruction of the railroad crossing surface, new pavement markings, road striping, new signs and the installation of an overhead streetlight.
Vehicles going southbound on Nagle sometimes were trapped on the tracks when the traffic signal turns red, with other vehicles stopped in front of and behind them.
A 16-year-old Taft High School student was struck by a Metra train on Oct. 5, 2010, at a railroad crossing at Nagle and Avondale avenues. The youth was admitted to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in critical condition, according to police. The teenager survived, but he had sustained severe injuries.
Other safety improvements have been made to the intersection since 2010, at the urging of former 41st Ward alderman Mary O’Connor.
