The flashing lights and gates weren’t activated until a Union Pacific train was near the edge of an Illinois 31 railroad crossing moments before it struck a Ford F-250 pickup, killing a 56-year-old man, a preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report found.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators looked at the train’s recorder, which “showed highway traffic traversing the crossing in the seconds before the collision,” according to the report.

The crash happened on Oct. 23 around 6:30 a.m. on the Union Pacific railroad on Illinois 31, south of W. Chicago Street, when a train heading northbound struck the pickup truck that was hauling a trailer. Inside the truck were three employees of Cornerstone Partners Horticultural Services Company in Elgin.

One man, identified as Martin Martinez, died from injuries he received in the crash. The two others were taken to a local hospital.

The Union Pacific train’s crew consisted of an engineer and a conductor. Both had been working since 8 p.m. the night before, the report stated. The train was returning from Union Pacific’s Belvidere yard.

Illinois 31 is a two-lane road, and the crossing features a single main track at a 35-degree angle, according to the report. As it approached the crossing, the train was traveling 27 mph, the NTSB stated. The speed limit is 30 mph.

The investigation showed the train’s whistle sounded for the first time seconds before it came to the crossing. “The truck entered the crossing from the train’s right immediately before the collision and was struck while in motion,” the report stated.

Railroad warning systems must provide 20 seconds of warning under federal law, according to the report.

NTSB investigators didn’t indicate who was at fault for the crash. However, the investigation will be focusing on “UP’s operating rules, policies, and training along with the performance of the train detection technology used by the highway-railroad grade crossing’s warning system,” it stated.

Following the accident, temporary stop signs were placed at the crossing, and UP started implementing other safety measures, including a “stop and protect” protocol while the investigation is being completed.

Martinez was a foreman with Cornerstone Partners. He is survived by his wife, three children, and a granddaughter.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for the Elgin Courier-News.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/19/ntsb-preliminary-report-elgin-train-crash/