Coroner IDs Man Killed in Amtrak Collision

SOMONAUK, IL - The death of a 28-year-old Sandwich man whose vehicle was struck and hit by an Amtrak train Sunday afternoon in Somonauk remains under investigation.

DeKalb County Coroner Dennis Miller identified the man as Josh Wilson, according to a news release Monday morning.

Miller was driving north at the North Green Street crossing of the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe railroad line in Somonauk when he came to an intersection with the train tracks. Gates were down to signal an oncoming train, but he drove around them and was on the tracks at 3:02 p.m. when the westbound train came in from the east and hit his car, pushing it about a quarter mile before coming to a stop, said Somonauk Police Officer Ryan Wallace.

Hours afterward, the train, nicknamed the California Zephyr, was expected to continue on its way, according to Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari. He said none of the 248 passengers and 25 crew members aboard the train were injured.

"These incidents are always tragic," Magliari said. "They are avoidable if drivers heed the warnings of an approaching train."

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