Police say drunk driver caused train wreck in Morton Grove

MORTON GROVE, IL – 56-year-old Mount Prospect A man was arrested for driving under the influence after his car was hit by a train Thursday night Morton Grove.

The Morton Grove Police Department responded to a reckless driving complaint at River Drive and Lehigh Avenue around 7:05 p.m. Before officers arrived, the driver’s black 2004 Acura TL crashed into a parked car on Lehigh Avenue before traveling onto a nearby railroad track, where it came to rest.

Witnesses pulled the driver from the vehicle before he was struck by the southbound Amtrak train. Neither the driver nor the passengers of the train were injured.

The driver, who was later identified as Pavlo Maletskyi, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of an accident, speeding and driving in the wrong lane.

The Metro Police Department is investigating the train crash. Lehigh Avenue remains closed between Lincoln Avenue and River Drive, and Metra tracks are expected to be closed overnight.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Morton Grove Police Department at 847-470-5200.