A Lisle man was killed when a freight train hit his car after he drove around the gates at the Union Pacific train tracks in Wheaton this morning.
According to Deputy Chief Tom Meloni of the Wheaton Police Department, 70-year-old H. Thomas Powers was traveling north on President Street, and attempted to drive around the railroad gate, when an eastbound Union Pacific freight train struck his car around 10:35 a.m. Thursday, police said.
The man was alive when police arrived on the scene. He was transported to Central DuPage Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
There were no passengers in the vehicle.
Wheaton Police and Fire Department personnel responded to the crash.
Because of the crash, all railroad crossings through downtown Wheaton remained blocked for more than two hours. All train traffic, including freight and passenger trains, was also stopped for about 90 minutes, during the investigation.
The President Street railroad crossing will be closed for several days so the railroad can repair railroad equipment, which also sustained damage in the crash.
