Vehicle hits 78-year-old man near Riverside Metra station

(RIVERSIDE) An elderly pedestrian was struck by a vehicle Thursday near a Metra station in west suburban Riverside.

The crash happened just before 6:30 p.m. near the intersection of Pine Avenue and Longcommon Road, Riverside police said.

The 78-year-old Westchester man was walking on the north side of the BNSF railroad tracks, and began to cross Longcommon Road, police said.

A 2007 Toyota turning right from Pine onto Longcommon struck the man at a low speed, and he fell backwards onto the ground near the tracks, police said.

Several people called 911, mistakenly thinking a train had hit him, police said.

The pedestrian, who was not in a marked crosswalk when he was hit, suffered injuries to his hip and leg, police said. He was conscious and alert when paramedics took him to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.

The driver, 48-year-old Joseph C. Murray of Riverside, was cited for failing to yield to a pedestrian and not exercising due care, police said.