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Van strikes La Grange Metra station
Police tape off the scene where a van crashed into the La Grange commuter station. | Lynn Petrak—for Sun-Times Media
Updated: February 25, 2013 2:22AM
LA GRANGE
A van crashed into the side of the downtown La Grange Metra commuter station Dec. 20.
Eyewitnesses report the driver of the vehicle and a person who was in the train station were taken to the hospital.
La Grange Doings columnist Lynn Petrak was in the Hallmark store across the street when somebody came in and shared news of the crash. Petrak was told the vehicle is so imbedded in the station officials have to shore up support before attempting to remove it.
One minor injury was reported, according to the village, though it was not clear if it was somebody in the car or in the station. The van struck the south wall of the station’s lobby area.
The village reported the west half of the station, including ticketing services, will be closed for the foreseeable future.
Mark Kregger, who works at 321 Fastdraw across the street, said it was very loud when the car went into the building. Kregger said it appeared to be an older woman driving and said people immediately came to her assistance.
Ray Baldwin owner of La Grange camera across the street, said she has not seen anything like this in 20 years at that location.
But Jack Baldus has. On April 10 of this year, a car on the same block crashed into his business, Blue-Eyed Jack. Nobody was hurt in that incident, in which an 82-year-old driver escaped injury. The driver in that incident, Clifford Faust of Riverside, told police his foot slipped off the brake onto the gas pedal as he was attempting to park on Burlington across from the train station.
Several of Baldus’ customers stopped in this afternoon saying they were glad his store wasn’t struck again.
“It’s unfortunate,” Baldus said. “Hopefully nobody was hurt.” ~.
