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CTA Pink Line Train Hits SUV In Cicero

Pink Line Train Hits SUV
An SUV was hit by a CTA Pink Line train when it tried to beat the train through a crossing in Cicero. (Credit: NVP Video)

CICERO (STMW) -- Three people were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries after a CTA Pink Line train struck a vehicle in west suburban Cicero Thursday evening.

About 10:30 p.m. a late model Ford Expedition cut in front of the eastbound train in the 2100 block of South Laramie Avenue, officials said.

The Expedition apparently tried to speed through a crossing gate as the street-level train was approaching, an official said citing preliminary findings.

The train struck the driver's side of the Expedition, shattering windows and forcing the vehicle's exterior inward into a concave dish of twisted metal.

The driver of the Expedition, the train operator and a passenger were taken to area hospitals with "minor injuries," said CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase.

The train operator stepped down from the train with the help of crews and could be seen speaking with paramedics as he was lead to an ambulance.

Pink Line service was shut down for a while as crews dealt with the wreckage, but as of about 12:30 a.m. Thursday, the trains were up and running again, Chase said.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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