Semi carrying cars collides with train; Cars fly off hit nearby vehicles

Two people were taken to the hospital with just minor injuries today after a semi truck carrying a load of cars collided with a Metra train in the northern suburbs. According to Metra, a semi carrying cars struck an inbound train near Western Ave just before 4 p.m. The train was on its second stop. The first two passenger cars, the ones that made impact, hadn’t been loaded with passengers yet. No one was inside cars that were torn wide open. Bartlett police said two of the vehicles actually came flying off the semi and hit cars that were parked in the south Metra lot. Some Bartlett residents heard it and felt it before they saw it. Melanie Alvarez says her family restaurant trembled. Then patrons and staff rushed outside, certain that they’d find injured passengers in need of help. “I looked up and then I saw the train, it was dragging something and then a big cloud of smoke. It was kind of frightening,” she said. The train was dragging was what was left of the car carrier; a mangled frame of metal that once held five expensive vehicles. Metra trains experienced delays throughout the evening commute. The investigation continues.