Two escape before car hit by freight train in Alsip

Two people escaped unharmed from a car that flipped onto a crossing and was hit by a train early Wednesday in south suburban Alsip.

At 2:49 a.m., a Chevy Monte Carlo was eastbound on 123rd Street when it hit a pile of broken asphalt, crashed into a concrete barrier and flipped over, landing in a ditch between two train tracks at Lombard Lane, according to Alsip police.

The driver and passenger got out of the car before a CSX freight train traveling 27 mph smashed into it, police said.

They were taken as a precaution to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, but their injuries weren’t thought to be life-threatening, police said.

The road had been closed for the last 10 days at the crossing for construction work, police said. There were barriers and signs in places, and the gates, lights and bells at the crossing were working, police said.

The 23-year-old Oak Lawn man who was at the wheel received two tickets for disobeying train and traffic signals and one for driving without insurance.