ELGIN, Ill. — The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a fatal collision on Thursday in Elgin involving a Union Pacific locomotive and a landscaping company pickup truck, the agency announced on social media.
One person was killed and two were injured in the collision at the State Street grade crossing in Elgin, the Daily Herald newspaper reports. The person killed was a passenger in the vehicle; the driver and another passenger were transported to a hospital. Landscaping firm Cornerstone Partners confirmed that one of its employees had been killed while two others were receiving medical treatment, with the company saying it was “profoundly saddened and heartbroken by the tragedy” and that its focus was on “supporting the families and employees impacted by providing all necessary resources.”
The collision, which occurred about 6:30 a.m., involved a locomotive running light; UP said crew members were not injured. The NTSB notes the grade crossing is protected by lights and crossing gates; WLS-TV reports investigators are working to determine whether the gates were lowered at the time of the crash.
Elgin is approximately 42 miles from Chicago on UP’s Belvidere Subdivision, its route to Rockford, Ill.
