A man was transported to a Chicago-area trauma center Thursday after a freight train hit a vehicle south of Dyer, police said.
Patti Van Til, spokeswoman for the Lake County Sheriff's Department, said the accident happened about 1 p.m. at the train crossing at 77th and Calumet avenues between a CSX train and a Chrysler PT Cruiser.
Van Til said the train was traveling north when the vehicle, driven by Albert Matthews, 66, of Dyer, drove into its path. She said the car was pushed about 50 to 60 feet after the impact.
Lake County police remained on the scene until after 2 p.m. and said the 110-car train was traveling at 35 mph (the speed limit for that area) and that all the lights, bells and horns were working at the time of the crash.
The crossing does not have gates, Van Til said, but the engineer told investigators he sounded his horn, and lights at the crossing were flashing at the time of the crash.
Van Til said Matthews was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, which houses a trauma center.
The injuries Matthews suffered and his condition weren't immediately available Thursday.
The driver was the only occupant in the PT Cruiser, Van Til said.
The accident remains under investigation.
CSX is working closely with Lake County police, CSX spokeswoman Carla Groleau said.
The train was carrying mixed freight from Avon, Ind., to Chicago, she said.
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