Crime & Safety
No Injuries after Trains Hit Snow Plow at Fairview Station
Snow plow slides off platform onto tracks.
Corrected: 9:30 a.m., Feb. 8
No injuries were reported after a train struck an unoccupied snow plow Sunday at the Fairview Station, 5099 Fairview Ave. The tracks were closed from about 11:45 a.m. to 1:50 p.m. as crews dealt with the accident.
A village employee was clearing snow from a pedestrian walkway on the south side of the tracks when the plow slid off the platform onto the tracks, Downers Grove police said.
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The employee escaped from the plow without injury and contacted police, who informed Burlington Northern of the incident. A Metra engineer saw the plow on the track and attempted to alert a westbound Burlington freight train, which was unable to stop in time. The freight struck the plow and pushed it into a signal bridge west of Fairview Avenue.
Police said the distance from impact to the plow’s resting place was 126 feet.
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TribLocal has additional information from Village Hall, as well as information for motorists on what to do if their vehicle stalls on railroad tracks.